Controversial Marine Tiltrotor Fights Its First Gun Battle | Danger Room | Wired.com
The Marines were running low on food, water, ammunition and medical supplies.That’s when the Marines’ V-22 Osprey tiltrotor swooped in, carrying life-saving supplies — and machine gun fire.What happened over the next five minutes or so highlights the incredible bravery of Marine air crews and the Corps’ growing confidence in the V-22, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but cruises like an airplane thanks to its rotating engine nacelles. But the incident in Sangin underscores the continuing vulnerability of the lightly armed Osprey, after efforts to beef up the V-22′s armament failed.The Osprey’s four-man crew from Tiltrotor Squadron 264, based in North Carolina — pilots Capts. Thomas Keech and Matthew Cave, crew chief Sgt.
