Just finishing up API and heading up to Whiting and we've been hearing rumors that the USMC is going to keep the CH-46 around longer now, due to the fact that the MV-22 can't be supported by the cobra , harrier, etc... I dont want to bash on the 46 guys out there, but come on, its time and if the MV-22 cant do the job, then we need to pony up and get some 60s. The navy could just hand some down:icon_wink
The API rumor mill...about as accurate as Michael J. Fox in a knife-throwing contest. The 46 is not being kept longer because the V-22 "can't be supported by the cobra, harrier, etc." That's students who don't know which end of an aircraft points forward drinking beers and engaging in idle speculation.
I am not going to let this digress into a discussion on V-22 escort requirements or on the Osprey itself. First, it's not the right thread--start a new one, threadjacker. Second, you may as well argue the merits of the sun coming up tomorrow, because the V-22 is going to happen, like it or not. Third, the V-22 will do the job just fine. Some of our brothers will be downrange proving that in just a couple of weeks.
The 46 is old. That's a no-brainer. But, it does the job within the constraints of the airframe's intrinsic limitations. Employed within those, it does pretty well. I'll wager the Army's lost a lot more 60s than we have 46s, even counting the proportional difference in total numbers. Replace it with a 1970s-vintage platform (H60) or a 2000-vintage airframe(V22)--your choice. Keep in mind that adding a new aircraft like the 60, even off the shelf, isn't just a matter of writing the check and riding into battle on your new steeds. Parts, training for crew and maintainers, etc are huge. You could wait 3-6 years for 60s, even if you cancelled the V-22 tomorrow.