Quantico’s ospreys, Pandion haliaetus and the MV-22B, a side-by-side comparison

Pandion haliaetus

• Weight: 2.5-4.5 pounds
• Diet: approximately 99 percent fish; also will eat snakes, birds, frogs, small mammals, crustaceans and other invertebrates
• Territory: found on every continent except Antarctica, near bodies of water. Birds in northern regions will migrate as far south as Central or South America in winter.
• Carrying capacity: approximately one small to medium-sized fish/two pounds
• Underwater functionality: capable of diving from up to 120 feet in the air feet-first and fully submerging
• Nesting behavior: builds large nests of sticks and supplements them with seaweed, grass, bark, and manmade materials; uses same nest each year. Ospreys will lay 2-4 eggs, and both the male and female will take turns incubating them.
• Unique modifications: has three sets of eyelids and can use one like goggles when underwater; has two forward-facing and two rear-facing talons on each foot, but can rotate a talon forward to better grip slippery prey; can hover briefly over water in search of fish.

(Information on Pandion haliaetus courtesy of Tim Stamps, head of Natural Resources section, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Branch, www.nationalgeographic.com and www.peregrinefund.org.)

MV-22B

• Size: fuselage, 57 feet, 4 inches; rotor to rotor, 83 feet, 11 inches.
• Weight: empty, 33,459 pounds; vertical take-off maximum gross weight, 52,600 pounds
• Engines: Two Rolls-Royce AE1107C; 6,150 shaft horsepower each
• Fuel: F-24, with 1,448 gallon fuel tank and air-to-air refueling capability
• Range: 390 nautical miles with 24 troops
• Carrying capacity: 24 combat troops or 20,000 pounds of internal cargo or 15,000 pounds of external cargo (approximately 10,000 medium-sized fish)
• Underwater functionality: none
• Storage: can be transported aboard an aircraft carrier or assault ship, because rotors fold and wings rotate
• Unique modifications: engine nacelles can rotate to enable flight as a helicopter or turboprop plane. The MV-22B can complete all the following mission types: amphibious assault, combat support, long-range special ops infiltration and exfiltration, transport, search and rescue, and medevac. The Ospreys of HMX-1 operate in support of the president of the United States.

(Data on the MV-22B is courtesy of www.boeing.com and 1st Lt. Gabriel Walton, manpower officer, Marine Corps Air Facility.)