Interesting CNN video report about the Osprey a hybrid plane / helicopter designed for use by the US Marine Corp. Over its twenty years in development, the Osprey has had many problems including cost overruns and fatal crashes. It was recently demonstrated at an airshow at Farnborough Airport in the UK.
Boeing hopes to see the aircraft deployed in Iraq sometime next year, although the report made me a little leery of this taking place. One of the two Osprey's flying to the show had to land in Iceland due to mechanical problems; and if you listen closely to the reporter, he is told not to grab any wires when the plane is flying because this could pull out vital circuits! Call me crazy, but that doesn't sound like a plane that's ready for military deployment. I hope these two were stripped test models and that hardened versions will be made available for combat duty.
New Mexico
