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December 24, 2002

The V-22 tiltrotor aircraft program marches on. Despite numerous attempts to cancel the project and 30 people killed in accidents during aircraft testing, eight aircraft are still engaged in further testing. Rolls Royce has delivered a hundred engines for the program (each V-22 has two engines.) Another 22 engines will be shipped in 2003 as the V-22 enters production for combat units. The Marines still want to buy 458 MV-22s are a price of about a hundred million each. Engineers and maintenance personnel complain that the V-22 is too complicated for military use, but the marines insist they need a new transport. It's going be either the V-22, or less capable (and more reliable) new helicopters.