[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

The reason this POS of an aircraft is under consideration by the USMC is the NY Congressional delegation wants it. Bell is located in NY.

Wrong. Bell is located in Texas, Boeing is located in Pennsylvania.

The Marines have been basically told that they are stuck with it.

Wrong. The Corps has been the only consistent proponent of the Osprey when everyone else has, at times, bailed out. When all the chicken littles of the world have told the Marine Corps that the Osprey won't work, the Corps has continued to thumb their nose at them. Just like when the Army, et al told us in the early days of the Korean War that helicopters couldn't be used in combat. We proved the idiots wrong then and we'll prove them wrong again.

This thing has sucked the USMC dry of all R&D funds that could be better spent on other things the Corps really needs.

Wrong. The Corps has continued to spend R&D money on a number of other weapons systems including but not limited to the F-35B and the AAAV.

Your entire post is a load of ignorant bravo sierra.

[wjcsux]

Bell was originally located in NY, Bethpage, I believe. The Osprey plant is in Amarillo. The Osprey has had problems since day one. It has been alleged that the USMC maintenance crews were ordered to overlook problems with the Osprey. I don't know if this is true or not. The USMC Osprey pilot who had the most flight time in Ospreys was killed in an Osprey crash. There was an AW&ST article a few years back that spelled out the Osprey developmental problems. This article discussed how R&D money was diverted from other USMC programs to the Osprey. I am still of the opinion the Osprey is an overpriced turkey.