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Osprey finally ready to soar in Iraq this fall
 WASHINGTON - The Marines' controversial Osprey, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but flies like a plane, will be declared operational today and could be in Iraq by the fall.Gen. James Conway, the Marine commandant, was set to announce the deployment of the first operational squadron of 12 Ospreys, and military officials said the Ospreys could begin showing up in Iraq by fall. They will replace the Vietnam-era CH-46E and CH-53D helicopters that have been ferrying Marines to combat in volatile Anbar Province. The Ospreys were grounded in February after the discovery of a computer glitch that could cause the aircraft to lose control during flight. It was the latest in a series of groundings over the years for problems ranging from hydraulics to flight controls. Despite the problems, the Marines have pitched the Osprey as a possible answer to the recent rash of helicopter downings in Iraq. Brig. Gen. Robert Walsh, assistant deputy commandant for aviation, told a recent conference that "all of the shootdowns have occurred at low altitude," but the Ospreys would fly at higher altitudes in dangerous areas. "This airplane will get people up," Walsh said. The military is buying 360 Ospreys at a cost of $70 million to $89 million each, up from the original estimate of about $20 million per Osprey.
Posted by: Steve White 2007-04-16 |
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