12/08/2015: Members of the 8th Special Operations Squadron conduct night operations above Eglin Range Florida.
Credit:Hurlburt Field:10/26/15
The CV-22 is the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) variant of the U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey. The CV-22’s mission is to conduct long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply missions for special operations forces.
Like the MV-22 Osprey, the CV-22 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. Those capabilities give this versatile, self-deployable aircraft the capability to conduct missions that would normally require both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
The CV-22 is equipped with integrated threat countermeasures, terrain-following radar, forward-looking infrared sensor, and other advanced avionics systems that allow it to operate at low altitude in adverse weather conditions and medium- to high-threat environments.