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Weird New V-22 Osprey Paint Job


Garth

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Picture here.

 

Notice the difference between the V-22 on the deck and the one approaching from the background. The one on the deck looks like it has a metallic semi-gloss scheme similar to that worn on many F/A-22s.

 

Any idea what this is (calling Kenneth, calling Kenneth)? It looks similar to that plastic RAM overcoating the USAF tried out on an F-16 several years ago (gold/black scheme).

 

--Garth

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Picture here.

 

Notice the difference between the V-22 on the deck and the one approaching from the background.  The one on the deck looks like it has a metallic semi-gloss scheme similar to that worn on many F/A-22s.

 

Any idea what this is (calling Kenneth, calling Kenneth)?  It looks similar to that plastic RAM overcoating the USAF tried out on an F-16 several years ago (gold/black scheme).

 

--Garth

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Could be.

 

Notice the "stealthy" gold cockpit "glass" on both aircraft.

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Isn't anything to do with stealth, it's the laser attenuation tint that's default on all US mil aircraft these days.  To be combined with additional protection as part of the helmet visors.  S/F....Ken M

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That's just for the canopy, right Ken? Not the airframe paint ... ?

 

--Garth

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Isn't anything to do with stealth, it's the laser attenuation tint that's default on all US mil aircraft these days.  To be combined with additional protection as part of the helmet visors.  S/F....Ken M

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Well on the F-16, the Have Glass program led to the introduction of the gold tint canopy and reduced frontal RCS by 20%.

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Thats the bling...now they just need chrome on the spinners...

 

:blink:  :D

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That what we need now: P. Diddy showing up at the MTV Awards in his own V-22 decked out with Plasma TVs, XM radio, X-Box and PS2, leather seating and a champagne cooler.

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That what we need now: P. Diddy showing up at the MTV Awards in his own V-22 decked out with Plasma TVs, XM radio, X-Box and PS2, leather seating and a champagne cooler.

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Dude, it's not "P.Diddy" anymore. Just Diddy.

 

Get with it.

 

--Garth

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That's just for the canopy, right Ken?  Not the airframe paint ... ?

 

--Garth

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Correct. Radar stealth on a V22 seems like trying to camoflage a functioning strobe light, what do you do about those giant fans?

 

Having the pilots go blind from a small and light laser with a NOHD of hundreds of km and instant ToF and ultra simple targeting seems a much more significant threat, not so? S/F....Ken M

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Correct.  Radar stealth on a V22 seems like trying to camoflage a functioning strobe light, what do you do about those giant fans?

 

Having the pilots go blind from a small and light laser with a NOHD of hundreds of km and instant ToF and ultra simple targeting seems a much more significant threat, not so?  S/F....Ken M

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Add to that the radar return from the miles of copper windings incorporated in the laminate fuselage/wings to meet the EMP requirements and voila, you have the RCS of a C130 with rotors!

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Correct.  Radar stealth on a V22 seems like trying to camoflage a functioning strobe light, what do you do about those giant fans?

 

So then I'm not getting why they'd try to employ some sort of F/A-22 style stealth coating on the fuselage. Possible benefits in reducing RCS from certain aspects? Better corrosion control, and/or extending the time between stripping/repainting?

 

It looks to me that the semi-gloss coating also produces a nice, and very visible, sheen, reducing the visual LO benefits of the "standard" paintjob.

 

--Garth

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So then I'm not getting why they'd try to employ some sort of F/A-22 style stealth coating on the fuselage.  Possible benefits in reducing RCS from certain aspects?  Better corrosion control, and/or extending the time between stripping/repainting?

 

It looks to me that the semi-gloss coating also produces a nice, and very visible, sheen, reducing the visual LO benefits of the "standard" paintjob.

 

--Garth

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Uh, I thought we defined the coating as antilaser earlier? Seems logical to me since RCS is hopeless. The visual LO was never part of the specs, and flight profiles were supposed to be the key therein. Foiling laser FCS ought to be a benefit, however vs. AAA and MANPADS of the future.

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Add to that the radar return from the miles of copper windings incorporated in the laminate fuselage/wings to meet the EMP requirements and voila, you have the RCS of a C130 with rotors!

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The RAH-66 Comanche supposedly has a RCS smaller than that of a Hellfire missle so we must have found a way ro reduce/mask the RCS of rotating rotar blades.

 

Also note that the coating is applied to the wings & radar waves are not necesarily going to penetrate the fuselage or wing structure & bounce off the wiring inside.

 

You are certainly not going to make an Osprey as stealthy as a F-117/F-22/F-35 but you certainly can reduce it & thus reducing the range at which it is detected.

 

It would make more sence to reduce the detection/effect of lasers than radar though.

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I have no idea about the paint, maybe it's for commercial sales ;) The tint on the windows is for anti-laser purposes, specifically to prevent blinding. Well, at least it looks like all the other anti-laser coatings I've seen on aircraft glass and elsewhere. I suppose on the Albatross it could be simply because somebody decided it looks cool, like a set of Oakley Iridiums. But on all the other aircraft, it's for lasers. S/F....Ken M

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The commanches blades are specifically designed, relatively light weight props made of (I believe) Radar Transparent mateirials. the V-22's rotors are pretty heavy duty, I doubt the same technique would work.

 

The paint job does look pretty cool, might be a PR bird or something.

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No clue. Of course I am way out of the V-22 loop these days.

 

Notice the difference between the V-22 on the deck and the one approaching from the background.  The one on the deck looks like it has a metallic semi-gloss scheme similar to that worn on many F/A-22s.

 

Any idea what this is (calling Kenneth, calling Kenneth)?  It looks similar to that plastic RAM overcoating the USAF tried out on an F-16 several years ago (gold/black scheme).

 

--Garth

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No, you certainly can't. Making a stealthy V-22 would be even more difficult than making a carrier-based F-15E, to recall one of your other ideas.

 

You are certainly not going to make an Osprey as stealthy as a F-117/F-22/F-35 but you certainly can reduce it & thus reducing the range at which it is detected.

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I don't know about any laser protection, but I do vaguely recall that the V-22 transparencies had a gold tint, and I think this was a very fine metallic mesh built into the multi-layer transparencies that was the heating element for a deicing system.

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No, you certainly can't. Making a stealthy V-22 would be even more difficult than making a carrier-based F-15E, to recall one of your other ideas.

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Since developing a navalized F-15E would be less difficult than developing the "essentially all new" F/A-18E/F I have not idea how "easy" you think it would be to make a V-22 stealthy - wait a minute, IIRC you think developing a navalized F-15E is near impossible.

 

 

Why would you not want to reduce the RCS of a V-22?

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Come on, people, where are your thinking caps? We are in the middle of an oil crisis. The Marines are simply trying to meet their CAFE targets by changing from flat paint to semi-gloss to reduce Cd by 0.001%. :lol:

 

Though the Osprey in clean configuration has probably got much lower RCS than a typical helo of the same weight class, the integral engine/rotor pylons pretty much precludes any decent intake and exhaust treatment.

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