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USMC Transport
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Michael Hubler
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Jun 24, 2009 12:51 PDT
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Osprey's effectiveness questioned
Published: June 24, 2009 at 2:53 PM
A key lawmaker said production of the V-22 Osprey, the U.S. military's =20=
tilt-rotor aircraft, should be stopped because of major flaws and =20
rising costs.
"It's time to put the Osprey out of its misery and time to put the =20
taxpayers out of their miseries," Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., =20
chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told =20=
the Air Force Times.
The comments from Towns came after a congressional hearing Tuesday on =20=
a scathing report on the Osprey by the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO report questioned the Osprey's ability to operate in "high-=20
threat environments" such as Afghanistan, carry the required number of =20=
combat troops and operate from Navy ships.
The report also found the Osprey lacks a weapons system that can stop =20=
enemy threats while approaching a landing zone.
A dozen Ospreys completed "low-threat" missions in Iraq, but engine =20
parts lasted a "fraction" of their expected life, and a broken supply =20=
chain left the number of Ospreys available to the military =20
"significantly below minimum required levels," the GAO said.
Costs per flight hour were twice the target estimate, the report said.
The V-22 program's costs have soared in the past two decades, and $29 =20=
billion has been spent for procurement and development, the report said.
=A9 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.=
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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Osprey's effectiveness =
questioned</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; ">Published: June 24, 2009 at 2:53 PM</div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; =
min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">A key lawmaker said production of =
the V-22 Osprey, the U.S. military's tilt-rotor aircraft, should be =
stopped because of major flaws and rising costs.</div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; =
min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">"It's time to put the Osprey out =
of its misery and time to put the taxpayers out of their miseries," Rep. =
Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Oversight and Government =
Reform Committee, told the Air Force Times.</div><div style=3D"margin-top:=
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: =
normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; =
"><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; ">The comments from Towns came after a =
congressional hearing Tuesday on a scathing report on the Osprey by the =
Government Accountability Office.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; =
">The GAO report questioned the Osprey's ability to operate in =
"high-threat environments" such as Afghanistan, carry the required =
number of combat troops and operate from Navy ships.</div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; =
min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">The report also found the Osprey =
lacks a weapons system that can stop enemy threats while approaching a =
landing zone.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">A =
dozen Ospreys completed "low-threat" missions in Iraq, but engine parts =
lasted a "fraction" of their expected life, and a broken supply chain =
left the number of Ospreys available to the military "significantly =
below minimum required levels," the GAO said.</div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; =
min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Costs per flight hour were twice =
the target estimate, the report said.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: =
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: =
normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; =
"><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; ">The V-22 program's costs have soared in the =
past two decades, and $29 billion has been spent for procurement and =
development, the report said.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; =
min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal =
normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">=A9 2009 United Press =
International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.</div></body></html>=
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