"“We have lent a huge amount of money to the U.S. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I am definitely a little worried.” "


Chinese premier Wen Jiabao 12th March 2009


""We have a financial system that is run by private shareholders, managed by private institutions, and we'd like to do our best to preserve that system."


Timothy Geithner US Secretary of the Treasury, previously President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.1/3/2009

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

V-22 Osprey / Albatross now deployed in Iraq - will have a gun real soon now


The first combat squadron of MV-22 Ospreys (Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, known as "The Thunder Chickens") is now deployed to Iraq after decades of development. US$15 Bn development costs, US$100Mn each and without any arma ment they can move at 300 Km in fast forward and are incapable of combat landings due to rotor / downdraft problems.

BAE Systems has been working on a new remotely operated turreted weapon system, the Remote Guardian(TM) System (RGS), a 2 part sensor / gun , designed to provide 360 degrees of suppressive fire from the soft underbelly of the Marine Corps V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft. (Pic of gun - or what it will look like if installed)... " a compact, retractable design that saves valuable aircraft cabin space and was designed to be completely compatible with the V-22’s avionics suite. "

Stability testing was done at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, the RGS, with a GAU-17, 7.62 mm mini-gun, was mounted on a moving land vehicle test platform. The testers demonstrated the weapon’s accuracy, based on the three-axis stability and control that is the foundation of the RGS and a core capability of BAE Systems.

BAE is planning to make the system available for installation beginning in the third quarter of 2008 !!!.This BAE webpage gives lots more detail / slides / video of this spatchcock system, pic above shows what such an installation would look like. BAE claim ..." No limits to aircraft performance or aircrew tactics " Pic of sensor.

BAE also have a sales brochure should you want more information - pdf here

No comment about spending all that money developing a combat aircraft and ending up without any armament ... maybe an improvement on the Eurofighter / Typhoon with an installed cannon which the RAF have said they will not use.

V22 - a true US military product - made in 45 States of the Union.

See Time Article Osprey V22 - A Flying Shame

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