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CV-22 Osprey Looks Massive During Landing, Hard to See As a Subtle Infiltrator

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) describes the CV-22 Osprey as a machine meant to perform long-range infiltration and exfiltration, among others. That generally could mean some type of discretion is needed, but just a quick look at the massive tiltrotor machine tells you subtlety certainly isn’t the thing’s strongpoint.
CV-22 Osprey landing at Wittman Regional Airport 7 photos
Photo: USAF/Senior Airman Miranda Mahoney
CV-22 OspreyCV-22 OspreyCV-22 OspreyCV-22 OspreyCV-22 OspreyCV-22 Osprey landing at Wittman Regional Airport
And that quick look could be the photo we have here, showing one of these machines, deployed with the Air Force Special Operations Command, preparing to land at the Wittman Regional Airport in Wisconsin after conducting an aerial demonstration at the end of July. It looks huge and noisy (you can hear just how noisy in the short video attached below), not exactly the attributes one would want from a stealthy, sneaky, machine.

But stealthy and sneaky were not exactly the attributes the USAF was looking for with this machine. The CV-22, which is the USAF version of the V-22 Osprey, came to be in 2009 and has quickly become one of the tools of the trade for special operations forces. The family is presently the only one of its kind on the world – flying machines that combine the advantages of vertical takeoff, hover and landing helicopters with those of a turboprop aircraft.

Built by the joint efforts of Bell and Boeing, the CV-22 is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Liberty engines, each developing 6,200 shaft horsepower. The tiltrotor can travel at a maximum speed of 322 mph (518 kph), and at altitudes of up to 25,000 feet (7,620 meters).

Its carrying capabilities are impressive. Piloted by a crew of four, it can take off weighing up to 60,500 pounds (27,400 kg), and can carry 32 floor-loaded personnel, or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of cargo.

As with most other military machines, the CV-22 Osprey does not come cheap: USAF is paying $90 million for each one it buys.

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Editor's note: Gallery shows other CV-22 Ospreys.

About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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