SOFEX 2014: US SOCOM showcases its “flying stallion”

By Stylianos Kanavakis

The United States Special Operations Command showcases its flying stallion at the SOFEX 2014 exhibition in Amman, Jordan. The CV-22 is being exhibited by the U.S. Air Force SOCOM personnel.

The constant need to deploy special operations troops in many different areas around the globe makes the V-22 Osprey a multi-tool that addresses the time-speed, distance, capacity and landing infrastructure matrix faced by many other platforms.

The front picture reveals that the platform has an AN/APQ-186 terrain-following multimode radar (top of the nose) and an AN/AAQ-16 Forward-Looking Infra-Red system, both of them by Raytheon.

A closer look at the tilt-rotor platform reveals a few of its characteristics. Special operations infiltration dictates the flight pattern. That is flying low with the cover of dusk. The USAF V-22s, have a few special subsystems in order to carry out their tasks.

As seen in the picture, avoiding the ground threats posed by shoulder1-launched anti-aircraft systems lead to the integration of the AAR-54 Missile Approach Warning System made by Northrop Grumman (position 1), the ALE-54 countermeasures dispenser by BAE Systems (position 2) and the AN/AAQ-24(V) DIRCM (Directional Infrared Countermeasures) by Northrop Grumman (position 3). An extra antenna is fitted on top of the helicopter for sattelite communications (position 4)

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