Those Helicopters

I've seen tons of helicopters on the news lately.  There has been a plethora af Blackhawks, Bell Jet Rangers, Dauphins & Jolly Greens.  But what about the Osprey?  
 
 How come you never see any of those fantastically expensive Ospreys?  What are they saving them for???
    <img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/235/1003/1024/MV-22Osprey.jpg" alt=" - " />

[markie]

Dont they have an automatic self-destruct feature?

[duderino]

i thought they stopped using them

[jmascis]

They don't use them anymore. They crashed too much

[ggw]

Gen. Hough said he expected that first squadron to be ready for deployment early in 2007. Depending on how fast they can buy new aircraft, he would expect the first Osprey squadron at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station by 2012.
 

[ccperkdog]

They had two Ospreys do a flyover at the NASCAR Busch race last Friday in Richmond. If you are ever driving down around Quantico you may catch a glimps of one flying around. It has been buzzing the area off and on for the last two months.

Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
  Gen. Hough said he expected that first squadron to be ready for deployment early in 2007. Depending on how fast they can buy new aircraft, he would expect the first Osprey squadron at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station by 2012.
 

Interesting article, ggw.  $58 million per plane goal.  I wonder how easy/difficult it would be for our enemy to shoot one down with a 50 kopek RPG?

[markie]

Cool learnt something today:  vortex ring state.

[hitman]

These things have been in development, etc. by Grumman since like 1980.  There have been several crashes over the last ten year or more.  The last I heard, congress wasn't too happy at the expense, mechanical failures, the crashes, or the bottomless pit that r&d needed for something that has been worked on the past 20+ years.  I don't think they'll ever be used the way they once thought.

[Jaguär]

Screw the helicopters. I'm much more interested in those black triangles that are flying out of Area 51 that some people think are aliens but is really the government working on their black ops projects.