@Gremlin29, Singapore's a very, very small country. Like the country itself, our defence platforms have limitations on them that would not be acceptable to an American. However, we are quite good using our limited defence budget and at thinking out of the box to achieve at a similar results.
As it were, if the defence platforms and systems of other countries are like Dr Evil in Austin Powers, then we are like mini-me (click to see pix of Danny DeVito as mini-me, firing a SG made Ultimax 100). We may not be able to punch a full sized man in the face but we can hit other combatants in the balls, as being tiny, the groin is just at our eye level.
In fact, after the Dec 2004 Tsunami, we used Endurance Class vessels as lily-pads for our Chinooks (click to see a pix a RSAF Chinook doing flight deck qualifications) as they delivered aid to Indonesia. If we can land Chinooks on our flight decks, we should be able to land Ospreys, right? (click for chart of size comparisons - Osprey with other helicopters)
IIRC, the Osprey has a service ceiling of 25,000 feet (7,620 metres), and has an unrefuelled mission radius with 24 troops of 390nm (722km). This means that it can fly faster, higher and further than all medium lift helicopters, which is an advantage in from the sea to overland ISR role, if fitted with the ISR systems currently used in the MC-12Ws (aka: Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350s).
If they mounted a E-2C/D type of radar on the Osprey, it would provide excellent over the horizon radar coverage. The Australian, Korean and Japanese navies would probably be interested in such a product. It could even be used to replace the Royal Navy airborne surveillance and control helicopters that currently serve as a platform for their Searchwater 2000 radar.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRRJUwk870k]SG Navy in the Gulf of Aden[/ame]
As it were, if the defence platforms and systems of other countries are like Dr Evil in Austin Powers, then we are like mini-me (click to see pix of Danny DeVito as mini-me, firing a SG made Ultimax 100). We may not be able to punch a full sized man in the face but we can hit other combatants in the balls, as being tiny, the groin is just at our eye level.
Proper blue water navies have destroyers with both Volume Search Radar (VSR) and Multi-Function Radar (MFR). And the VSR provides target cueing to the MFR in most naval ships. Our six 3,200 ton Formidable class frigates are equipped only with a MFR. Therefore we have to rely other sources to provide target cueing to the MFR. In our case, one of the sources of overhead cueing is harpoon armed Maritime Patrol Aircraft (click to see a pix our Fokker 50 MPAs). I believe the Osprey would be ideal as a replacement platform to hold the sensor suite on our MPAs and we can use our four 8,500 ton Endurance Class mini-LPDs to launch and recover Ospreys to supplement our six S-70B (which are organic to the Formidable Class). In that sense, I think that the Osprey could be potentially used by the Singapore Navy in an ISR role (to search for surface contacts and even to drop sonar buoys for underwater contacts). This enable our fleet in being to have a true blue water reach instead of being tied to operating within range of our land based Fokker 50 MPAs.
In fact, after the Dec 2004 Tsunami, we used Endurance Class vessels as lily-pads for our Chinooks (click to see a pix a RSAF Chinook doing flight deck qualifications) as they delivered aid to Indonesia. If we can land Chinooks on our flight decks, we should be able to land Ospreys, right? (click for chart of size comparisons - Osprey with other helicopters)
IIRC, the Osprey has a service ceiling of 25,000 feet (7,620 metres), and has an unrefuelled mission radius with 24 troops of 390nm (722km). This means that it can fly faster, higher and further than all medium lift helicopters, which is an advantage in from the sea to overland ISR role, if fitted with the ISR systems currently used in the MC-12Ws (aka: Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350s).
If they mounted a E-2C/D type of radar on the Osprey, it would provide excellent over the horizon radar coverage. The Australian, Korean and Japanese navies would probably be interested in such a product. It could even be used to replace the Royal Navy airborne surveillance and control helicopters that currently serve as a platform for their Searchwater 2000 radar.
Yes, that would be great role and naval ships can serve as their lily-pad to re-arm and refuel.
For an ISR role in pirate hunting off the coast of Somalia (or even the South China Sea), without the hassle of land bases, the Osprey would be ideal. The Osprey can also serve to extend the range other line-of-sight UAVs, like the ScanEagle (as a communications relay).
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRRJUwk870k]SG Navy in the Gulf of Aden[/ame]
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