Military Concept: Add Inflatable Belly Fuselage Airbag To The Osprey V-22

Hello All,

Just the other day I was reading the latest issue of Time magazine. Where the cover story was regarding the glitches of the "Bell Boeing V-22" (Osprey) Marine corps aircraft for troop and equipment transport. Since the Osprey V-22 is now starting to see combat operations duty in Iraq, if not Afghanistan.

The article was describing in how when the Osprey V-22 is in helicopter mode it is in a precarious spot. From 150 ft. downward as its two turbine engines are rotating into airplane mode. The danger would be in helicopter mode would be a fatal "Belly Flop" if it lost power, an engine, or hostile fire causing it to crash.

My concept is to add to the belly of the Osprey aircraft a similar airbag that the NASA Mar's Rover utilized. How many of you remember that rendered video from NASA regarding the Mars Rover coming into planetary reentry. Where before landfall the packaged drone inflated with multiple balloons and bounced several times to the ground to avoid a destructive impact of the payload.

If something like NASA's airbag unit for the payload of the Mars Rover can be applied to the belly of the Osprey V-22. It can save numerous lives of the crew if not and passengers or salvageable payloads. Of course the inflatable airbag system tucked into the fuselage belly of the Osprey would only discharge in a helicopter mode emergency. Be it on land or over water as an air cushion to absorb as much G-Force impact as it can for the 150 Ft. and lower downward crash.