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Osprey squadron trains on new defensive weapon system
Story by Lance Cpl. Bill Waterstreet
Marines from an Osprey squadron conducted the firing of a new weapon system for the MV-22 Osprey for the first time on a West Coast installation.
The Marines of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, are practicing on the Interim Defensive Weapon System, also known as the IDWS, or "belly gun", because of its location on the aircraft.
This training exercise occurred on Marine Corps Air Station Yuma's Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, March 2. The IDWS is soon to find its way to Osprey squadrons throughout the fleet.
"The unique piece of this weapon system is it gives the ability to fire in 360 degrees, and most hard-mounted weapon systems can't do that," said Gunnery Sgt. Ted Karp, the Assault Support Department, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 staff non-commissioned officer in charge and a native of Crawford, Colo.
The IDWS utilizes a .30-caliber mini-gun that fires at 3,000 rounds per minute. It's designed for the engagement of personnel and lightly-armored targets, as it fires 7.62 mm ammunition.
In addition to firepower, the system uses an advanced sensor for guidance that can magnify images up to 28 times more than normal. With this, the weapon can see targets and line them up far before they enter its 3,500 meter maximum range.
"(The need for the IDWS) is mostly to provide any-access defensive capability," added Karp.
"You're not only limited to just shooting off one side of the aircraft or just off the nose.
You can shoot in any direction from the belly of the aircraft."
The IDWS has been in development for more than five years.
There are several units on the East Coast that have used it and deployed with it, but it is still considered to be in developmental stages.
"There are maybe only 20 or 30 guys in the Marine Corps who have been trained on it so far," said Karp. "It's getting more and more use, but it hasn't been used extensively yet."
Training involved with the weapon system involves at least six flight events and numerous hours of training on the ground learning about the weapon as a whole, how take it apart, how to care for it and how to operate it in flight.
"It's a stair-step approach," said Karp. "You learn about the system, then you learn how to install the weapon, then how to use the controls and manipulate the system and progress to actually firing the weapon."