PHOTOS: Military plane with US Seals to evacuate Obama in case of attack
The Nairobi News brings to you pictures of the military plane that will be on standby to parachute naval seals to protect US President Barack Obama and his family in case of an emergency during his official visit next weekend.
Last weekend, the Americans flew in a Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft from Africa Special Operations Command (AFSOC), which is based in Djibouti.
A first of its kind in the world, the Osprey can fly at a maximum speed of 500 km/h (or 78 per cent faster than the average large helicopter) and is used to transport the SEAL Teams.
Boeing.com says the V-22 Osprey is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.
This simply means that it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter; capable of high-speed and high-altitude flight.
This combination results in global reach capabilities that allow the V-22 to fill an operational niche unlike any other aircraft.
The axlegeeks.com says the Boeing V-22 Osprey is classified as a large helicopter, and can be used for military missions.
The approximate base price of this rotorcraft is $68 Million, which is 820% more expensive than the average for its class, the website adds.
It can transport up to 24 passengers, five more than competitors of a similar size.
“The BOEING V-22 Osprey can fly as far as 879 nautical miles (1627km) on a tank of fuel, a range that’s 452 mi (837km) farther than other similarly sized rotorcraft.”
