V22 Osprey Demonstrates Ability in Iraq

Over the past twenty-five years, the V22 Osprey has struggled to gain acceptance by the military and those holding its purse strings. Only the Marines continued to want and promote the tilt-rotor aircraft throughout its developmental cycles that ruined four machines and killed thirty. Through continued perseverance and testing, however, the vehicle was cleared for deployment with the VMM-263, America's first operational Osprey squadron. After three months in the desert, the Marines report little to no problems with the V22 Osprey's performance in the Anbar Province.

In its present configuration, the V22 Osprey has been operating as a troop and cargo transport even though it is also intended to perform infiltration and exfiltration operations. The Osprey works like a helicopter for take off, landing and hovering on-site, while it flies with the efficiency of an airplane by tilting its wing mounted rotors up and down.

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