It’s a typical government issue: You’ve spent billions of dollars building an aircraft in contrast to any other for the express objective of acquiring troops into remote areas more rapidly than traditional helicopters can. But the outcome, the tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey, is so narrow that military ground cars cannot be transported with these troops. So when you’ve rushed them into position, what then?
Now Boeing, 1 of the Osprey’s designers, has created a remedy with a name almost as silly as the issue it solves: Phantom Badger. Why not just Phantom? Why not just Badger? The 2 together sound like bad-notion Tuesday on Nickelodeon. But Boeing and the military are significant, and the U.S. Navy not too long ago certified the Phantom Badger for flight aboard the Osprey, providing personnel a versatile, rugged option for ground transport. Previously, variations on the civilian-ATV theme were the only autos that fit in the Osprey, but their modest cargo and personnel capacity restricted their usefulness. The Phantom Badger, on the other hand, can carry 3350 pounds or tow 4000.
Courtesy of Boeing Phantom Works
At only 60 inches wide, the PB is 6 inches narrower than a Honda Fit, enabling it to slip very easily into the V-22’s cargo hold. It utilizes the very same 3.-liter turbo-diesel V-6 as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500. Here, the 6 swills either diesel or the JP-8 jet fuel that is plentiful on military bases and produces the exact same 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque as it does in civilian duty. The Phantom Badger weighs in at just below 8000 pounds thanks to its 4-wheel steering, it has an impressive turning circle of only 24 feet—11 feet tighter than even a Mini Cooper S’s.
It has mounts for each a .50-caliber machine gun and a 40-mm grenade launcher, but its size and open-air construction imply it is a lot more of an original Jeep than an MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected automobile). With a best speed of 80 mph on pavement and the ability to ford up to 3 feet of water, the Phantom Badger can go practically anyplace and get there quickly—just like the Osprey. But when the Badger arrives, the troops aboard it will truly be exactly where they want to be.
Pack it Up, Pack it in
The Phantom Badger is developed to travel aboard the Osprey, but Boeing is pleased to pack them into any of its cargo aircraft.
What do you get when you cross an Osprey with a Badger?
Advanced Tactics recently announced the initial effective flight test of its Black Knight Transformer, a hybrid truck/helicopter made for military use. 4 rotors on each side fold in for driving on narrow streets and can tilt forward like those on the Osprey for higher-speed flight. With the potential to be piloted either onboard or remotely, the Black Knight could manage tasks at the moment assigned to the Osprey and Phantom Badger.
Phantom Menace: Boeing Solves Its Own Cargo Issue with a New-Age Jeep
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