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Filmed by our friend Dafydd Phillips the cool video in this post features some cool aircraft, including a US Air Force (USAF) CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, flying through the Mach Loop.
He explains;
‘It’s been a long time since we’ve had a CV-22 Osprey in the Mach Loop and what a great sight it was to see! Probably about two years in waiting. I’ve included some of our usual American visitors with a few locals also.’
The CV-22 featured in the video belongs to the 352d Special Operations Wing based at RAF Mildenhall, England, which is part of Air Force Special Operations Command. Consisting of six squadrons and two groups, the 352nd SOW includes more than 1,200 Air Commandos and provides support to the European theater as well as other combatant commands when necessary. The SOW flew the CV-22 Osprey and the MC-130J Commando II. The wing is the only Air Force special operations unit in the European Theater.
The Ospreys are flown by 7th Special Operations Squadron that operates the CV-22B throughout the entire range of military operations in support of conventional and Special Operation Forces. The 7 SOS can execute missions at night, in adverse weather, performing long-range insertion, extraction and resupply missions in hostile, denied and/or politically sensitive territories. This is accomplished by employing cutting-edge tilt-rotor aircraft with terrain-following/terrain-avoidance radar, precision avionics and robust defensive systems.
The 7th Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides all organizational and intermediate-level maintenance on the fleet of CV-22B Osprey aircraft. The flightline maintenance, phase, munitions, support mobility and weapons sections of the 7 SOAMXS enable the one-of-a-kind combination of speed, range and operational flexibility of the Osprey.
The CV-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that combines the vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing qualities of a helicopter with the long-range, fuel efficiency and speed characteristics of a turboprop aircraft. The mission of the CV-22 is to conduct long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply missions for special operations forces.
This versatile, self-deployable aircraft offers increased speed and range over other rotary-wing aircraft, enabling Air Force Special Operations Command aircrews to execute long-range special operations missions in austere environments. The CV-22 can perform missions that normally would require both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. The Osprey takes off vertically and, once airborne, the nacelles (engine and prop-rotor group) on each wing can rotate into a forward position.
The CV-22 is equipped with a variety of systems that allow it to operate in various austere conditions. The CV-22 is the Special Operation Forces variant of the US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey.
Photo credit: Dafydd Phillips
