Originally Posted by
SabreDriver
When we bulid an airframe from the ground up, they shouldn't have to do that.
Assuming requirements and mission assignments which drive those requirements don't change you are correct. As you well know acquisition and requirements is an ever changing world and one that a 20 yr development process doesn't address across the board.
I'd like to think of the V-22 program as a "jack of all trades, master of none" much like the Hornet/Superhornet has been for USN/USMC aviators for many years. This aircraft started out with many problems, many of which were fixed, some of which were not. I don't know what caused this particular mishap, but the the fact that there was a class A mishap with devastating results ought not to be the reason we start trying to armchair qb a decision to keep/buy an aircraft when that decision was made years ago IMHO. At the end of the day the V-22 brings a formidible platform to an arguably difficult theater and has performed rather well.