Helicopter-plane Osprey wins praise in Iraq

'It's a gorilla'
"It's a gorilla. The ability to accelerate to speeds is so strong," Seymour said, adding that the Osprey's benefits will become even more evident as the military continues to move away from ground convoys, which face roadside bombs and ambushes. "Like a bat out of hell you're at altitudes safe from small arms fire."

The Osprey is certainly an awesome sight. In helicopter mode, its twin nacelles point downward as if they were pistols in a holster. At night, its neon-tipped rotors sparkle like emeralds.

During a mission last week, on which an Associated Press reporter and photographer accompanied Marines, the only problem involved its global positioning system.

But Maj. Andreas Lavato, one of the pilots, said the aircraft is built with so many backup systems — what the Marines call "redundancies" — that there are no concerns over engine or computer problems.

One engine can still power both propellors at a somewhat lower speed, he said as the aircraft traveled at 280 mph about 9,500 feet above Anbar province in western Iraq. Each vital computer system has at least two backups.

"I'm an old helicopter guy myself and I really didn't feel confident flying with this thing until about 70 hours," said Lavato, 36, who piloted the Sea Knight for a decade. "That's with the technology, because the flying is really easy. It didn't really take long to fall in love with this and realize its capabilities."

Lack of firepower
He conceded that the Osprey's lack of firepower — it has only a 7.62 mm machine gun at its rear, one fewer weapon than the Sea Knight — caused part of his initial skepticism.

But he insisted that speed and elevation were more important, as the Ospreys are largely avoiding descents into "hot zones" or violent areas unprepared by aircraft more geared for attack.

"Nobody sees us and you have to see something to shoot it," Lavato said. "If I'm coming into a situation I can just leave and get from 0 to 200 knots in about 10 seconds. I'm just gone."

Kopacz, meanwhile, rejected the idea that the multibillion dollar Osprey project was being shielded from the real fight to protect its record.

"We are flying into every zone out here — they are just not hot when we land," he said. "Is that because we are so quiet coming in? Is it because we're not low and slow?"

Kopacz said people can hear a helicopter from 10 miles away.

"You can't hear us until two miles away," he said, "and we're coming fast."

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