V-22 Osprey Modified

The V-22 Osprey Modified, generally shortened as V-22M is the Acadian version of the pre-Winter Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey aircraft. The Acadian modifications to the old V-22 design made the aircraft capable of operating safely in cold weather while replacing the inefficient turboprop engines with modern Acadian designs.

When the X-8 Wasp aircraft started production, all but one of the V-22's were scrapped since their excessive fuel consumption made them obsolete under Acadia's economic conditions. The last remaining V-22 is only reserved for times when the X-8 aircraft are unable to provide air support.

Design
When the 12 abandoned American V-22's were recovered from air bases in Iceland, ANN and Acadia's leading technicians immediately started to redesign the aircraft to operate in very cold weather conditions and have better fuel economy. During the 2 years of design and construction that took place in Iceland, one of the V-22's suffered from a hydraulic system malfunction and crashed, killing 2 pilots and 1 technician.

The final version of V-22M was released in 1989, after all systems were fully tested and reliability was guaranteed by ANN. The aircraft was put to use in the Defense of Iceland after additional testing and pilot training.

Operational History
The V-22M was released during the Defense of Iceland and was operated in the last 10 years of the conflict. During these years, each V-22M logged over 15,000 hours of service performing insertion, evacuation, reconnaissance and attack missions. Shortly after the V-22M's started supporting the Acadian and Icelandic servicemen on the battlefield, casualties were reduced dramatically. The V-22M depleted Acadia's fuel stockpile within 6 years and imports from the Hansa was necessary to keep the aircraft operational. Even with the rising price of fuel in Europe, the V-22M's were used to eliminate most British armor and high-profile personnel without risking the lives of Acadian servicemen. The Acadian Mounted Support Unit (AMSU) was established to unite the V-22M pilots in the conflict and maximize their cooperation.

During the conflict, one V-22M was shot down by British forces during a MEDEVAC mission, resulting in 6 deaths on the aircraft and 21 deaths on the ground. Another V-22M was also lost when a mechanical failure in a hardpoint caused the missile to hit the fuselage, killing all pilots and passengers immediately.

The Acadian High Council voted to retire the V-22M's after the conflict in Acadia ended. ANN started designing the X-8 Wasp to replace the V-22M around the same time, but the design process would take more than a decade. While the design for X-8 was going on, the V-22M's were slowly scrapped until only 1 unit remained. The last remaining V-22M, The Flying Canadian, remained. Though the last unit is still maintained to be deployed within 15 minutes, it has not been used since 2121.

General Characteristics
(The characteristics that are not listed are assumed to be the same as the pre-Winter V-22 aircraft )
 * Crew: Three (pilot, copilot and one flight engineer)
 * Capacity:
 * 30 passengers, or
 * 10,000 kg internal cargo
 * Fuel Capacity: 8,500 kg
 * Empty Weight: 13,600 kg
 * Loaded Weight: 24,750 kg
 * Max. Takeoff Weight: 32,000 kg
 * Powerplant: 2 x V-22 Modified Turboshafts, 8,450 hp (6,300 kW) each

Performance

 * Maximum Speed: 540 km/h at sea level, 495 km/h at 2,500m
 * Cruise Speed: 435 km/h at sea level
 * Stall Speed: 240km/h in airplane mode
 * Range: 3500km
 * Combat Radius: 2100km
 * Service Ceiling: 3,000m

Armament

 * 4 x AGM-65 Maverick Air to Ground Missiles, in 4 hardpoints
 * 12 x AGM-114 Hellfire Air to Ground Missiles, in 4 hardpoints