A Tiltrotor Squadron in Afghanistan
Scenes of a Marine unit flying the incredible, versatile Osprey.
- By Rebecca Maksel
- AirSpaceMag.com, March 15, 2010
Ed Darack
Writer and photographer Ed Darack writes in our April/May 2010 issue of the time he spent in southern Afghanistan in December 2009 with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 (VMM-261).
Many of the Osprey pilots used to fly the Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight, known colloquially to the Marines as the “Phrog.” “I felt safe in the Phrog because it had two .50-caliber machine guns,” says Captain Chris Meixell of VMM-261. "The greatest safety advantage [of the Osprey] is the performance of the aircraft itself, which allows us to climb quickly out of small-arms and shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile range.”
About this shot Darack says, “The pilots put the tip lights on for safety during nighttime and at dawn and dusk. They just started this one up—you can see the plume of white smoke.”
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Comments (4)
Lovely picture. Could I purchase a copy? EDITORS' REPLY: We do not sell copies of photographs. You would need to buy one from the photographer directly. Most photographers have websites or agencies that can be found easily through a Web search.
Posted by Elizabeth Freeman on March 17,2010 | 10:41 PM
I would like to see more pictures of VMM261 squadron--maybe we can see our marine.Thank you all for what you are doing. God bless and take care.
Posted by RUBEN PIMENTEL on March 22,2010 | 05:44 PM
As a Naval Aviator w/ seaplane, carrier attack (A-1)&mucho combat time in helicopter gunships + command of a squadron & aircraft carrier, I fail to understand why NAVAIR size~ selected the V-22 to emulate an H-46 sized capacity vice the larger H-47 or H-53 heavy lift capabilities. Troop support capability suffers from the meager load capabilities of this aircraft. (Love the concept & flexibility but it begs for a weapons capability to also support the Troops.) ~ww~
Posted by Warrior Wes on March 24,2010 | 06:10 PM
I was an Air Force weather observer at Ft Huachuca AZ in 1982 when the Osprey was being flight tested. It was amazing to see it in operation.
Posted by Michael C. Gahagan on November 26,2011 | 01:53 AM