Osprey V-22, Israeli commando and other angles

The JP military expert, the obstreperous Yaakov Katz, trumpets a new era in our commando transportation area - the Age of Osprey:

Israel has been closely following the development of the aircraft; a few weeks ago Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz, the IDF's military attaché to Washington, together with senior IAF commanders, visited the Boeing plant where it is manufactured. Senior officers said the aircraft could meet Israel's future needs, particularly in transporting Special Forces behind enemy lines.

That's good news: our commando bandits deserve a better and safer transport than these old, noisy and vulnerable Bells. Although the failure of Boeing / Bell to accommodate a forward-looking gun in the Osprey leaves some room for improvement.

Just a technical remark for Yaakov Katz re this summary of Osprey's remarkable abilities:

What makes the V-22 unique is its ability to takeoff vertically like a helicopter, with its rotors in an upright position, and then to shift the rotors 45 degrees downwards, allowing it to fly like a regular transport plane, reaching speeds of up to 300 knots, almost double that of a helicopter.

I rather hope that Boeing and Bell are not selling IAF a crippled version of the bird. Because normally one would expect the rotors to be shifted a full 90 degrees downwards.

Oh, and 100 degrees (Celsius) is when the water for your morning coffee starts boiling. Go for it.