Marine Helicopter Raids in New York Parks

U.S. Marines will be conducting Air/Ground demonstrations to the public throughout New York City and surrounding counties May 27 – June 1 as part of Fleet Week 2010.The demonstrations will feature the AH-1W Super Cobra & CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters, as well as the MV-22 Osprey, which provides unprecedented expeditionary capabilities to the U.S. Marine Corps. Although the Osprey will take off and land vertically like a helicopter, it will fly twice as fast, carry three times the payload, and has five times the range of the CH-46. In addition to these impressive capabilities, the Osprey is up to 21 times less vulnerable to small arms fire and 75 percent quieter than helicopters, and the Osprey is the only U.S. tactical transport aircraft with designed-in radiological, biological, and chemical warfare protection. For the demonstration, the Super Cobras will sweep the area to ensure that the landing zone is clear. The Ospreys and Sea Knight helicopters, carrying a platoon of Marines, will then fly into the landing zone. The Marines will quickly deploy from the aircraft and secure the area. After the demonstration, the helicopters will land and be available for public display along with the weapons typically used by a Marine Corps rifle platoon.