2007年VOA标准英语-US Marines Sending New Aircraft into Battle

By Jim Fry
Washington
03 May 2007
 

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Marine Osprey

The U.S. Marines are preparing to send a new tilt² rotor aircraft into combat for the first time. And the American manufacturer predicts a civilian³ version may soon appear over many of the world's cities. The military development, however, has been plagued with problems and setbacks and there are questions whether the aircraft will be a commercial success.  VOA's Jim Fry reports:

The two engine Marine Osprey flies like an airplane -- its speed, a plus over the battlefield.

And with its rotors tilted⁴ upwards⁵, the mid-sized troop transport can land like a helicopter.  It will touch down in Iraq sometime in September.

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Gen. James Conway, US Marine Corps

Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway says, "I will just say that the quantum leap in technology that this aircraft will bring to the fight has been a road marked by some setbacks."

Setbacks, such as a crash during a training mission like a Marine simulation.  The April 2000 accident killed 19 Marines.

As the Marines demonstrated the aircraft near Washington, D.C. last month, commanders said they had overcome a series of problems during more than 20 years of development.  There were several other fatal crashes, technical glitches⁷, design flaws and even a military cover-up of safety problems.

Squadron Commander Lieutenant⁸ Colonel Chris Rock explained, "People who fly the plane, we have families.  We would not be flying something we thought was going to kill us."

The lead manufacturer, Bell Helicopter of Texas, plans to turn achievement on the battlefield into commercial success.

"We have orders for that from around the world for a wide variety of missions," said Bell spokesman Bob Leder.

The company has taken several dozen international orders for a much smaller tilt rotor built with Italian partner Agusta Aerospace⁹ Corporation.  The BA 609 will be delivered in three years as an executive aircraft, air ambulance and transport to off-shore oil platforms. The company also hopes to develop an alternative to long waits at crowded airports.

A larger commercial tilt rotor aircraft could provide passenger service into a crowded city like London -- as seen in a company video. The company sees possibilities all over the world says Leder. "Downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil to downtown Rio de Janeiro; downtown Munich to downtown Paris."

Aircraft industry analyst¹⁰ Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group raises economic issues.

A tilt rotor aircraft that could seat as many as 40 people, he says, could cost 40 million dollars to build -- much more than price of a commuter¹¹ jet.  He says that would translate to tickets four or five times higher than on the airlines.

"This is an industry where Southwest Airlines [a U.S. discount airline] made huge inroads into everybody's markets by offering $10, $20 off everybody else."

Even the smaller version, he says, will be little more than an expensive novelty for only about two dozen customers each year.

"In terms of special operations and Marine operations, this will be a potent¹² war fight tool.  But to expect any commercial spin off from it -- complete pipe dream," says Aboulafia.

The Marines took a few reporters on a ride last month -- a chance to fly in an aircraft few have experienced. "So, we went down like 45 degrees like this.  And they have a climb -- real steep," recounted Tomohiro Deguchi, a reporter for Kyoto News Service.

Luis Martinez, an ABC News video journalist added,  "Would you pay a fare to fly in one of these from one place to another? Probably not.  My kids would not like it."

A company official says commercial flights would be much smoother. And if people have jitters¹³?

"You know, when we went from bi-planes to monoplanes, people said, 'Well you know, it does not have two wings--how can it be safe?' " answered Bell Helicopter’s Leder.

The company believes it would not take long for paying customers to accept a new concept in flying.

1 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

2 tilt   

v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜

参考例句：

• She wore her hat at a tilt over her left eye.她歪戴着帽子遮住左眼。
• The table is at a slight tilt.这张桌子没放平，有点儿歪.

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。

5 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 glitches   

n.小过失，差错( glitch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Manufacturing glitches have limited the factory's output. 生产中的故障影响了该厂的产量。 来自辞典例句
• Another kind of period variation,\"Glitches,\" are seen in several pulsars. 在几个脉冲星中还看到了周期的另一种变化，即“自转突快”现象。 来自辞典例句

8 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

9 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

12 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

13 jitters   

n.pl.紧张(通常前面要有the)

参考例句：

• I always get the jitters before exams. 我考试前总是很紧张。
• The whole city had the jitters from the bombing. 全城居民都为轰炸而心神不宁。