[Llarry]

If the U.S. Army goes to a tiltrotor force (replacing the UH-60 Blackhawk), the Navy will probably be unable to piggyback off the Army's selection, as a Navy tiltrotor will be unable to fit in the hangars of Navy destroyers. The other problem is likely cost -- the cost of a tiltrotor force will be far more than that of a helo force. I wonder if the Army's selection of a tiltrotor will survive the budget process.

All that said, the tiltrotor has undisputed military advantages in speed and range. The U.S. Marine Corps seems to be largely immune to the normal bugetary pressures of the other U.S. military services, thus the MV-22 Osprey, as well as the UH-1Y and CH-53K helicopters, all of which are considerably more expensive than their Army counterparts. The Marines lead a charmed life...