V-22 OspreyFrom McClatchy News:
WASHINGTON — In the fall, the first squadron of Marines finally will fly V-22 Ospreys into the mountains of Afghanistan, months behind schedule and despite shortcomings that make some in Congress worry whether the hybrid aircraft can do the job for which it was intended.
The aircraft, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like a plane, has numerous problems. Among them: Marines can't fast-rope out the side door to land in hot zones. It can't land without power — a key maneuver called autorotation that saved thousands of lives in Vietnam — without danger of flipping into its own downwash. It isn't capable of maneuvering in combat conditions.
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My Comment: A defense procurement that should have died a long time ago .... but (of course) still lives on.