First of all the marines need an elite fighting spirit. I guess they have that spirit. And their current fighting in Irak and Afghanistan and their police action in Haiti will contrbute to that spirit even more. But with the introduction of móre and more high tech weapons (PGM, UAV, ...) the marines will have to think much beyond the riflemans codex. They will need the FCS too. But they always the first in. The US are loosing more and more bases overseas. More and more countries will deny the use of their soil and their bases. So aircrat carriers and ampgibious forces are of more value than ever. It just the medium size equippment of the marines that enables them - together with their spirit and riflemans codex - to be the nearly perfect intervention force. The Osprey should go the way the cheyenne ave gone. The marines do not need to fly this far with this speed without the neccesary equippment. And I do not see many countries/powers who can press the marines and their ships to conduct operations from beyond the horizon. Without absolute air dominace (ba carrier based aircraft) no commander would order an invasion anyway. So airpower would let the ships come near the beach. The marines need a new joint helicopter generation. Especially heavy helicopters to replacke the CH 47/47 and Ch 53. And maybe a new joint medium helicoper to replace the UH 60 series. The Osprey is to costly and to complicated. And it does not take enough weight The base of the marine corps will always be the rifleman.

I Loved the V-22, back in the 80's when it was proposed. The Marines have decided that this is the aircraft for them and they have the political clout to make it so (remember our dear VP who cancelled the program when he was SECDEF). The fact remains the CH-46 needs to be replaced. Yes we have reached the limit for helicopters and Tilt-Wing / Tilt-rotor shows PROMISE. But, it ain't working NOW. The Marines won't accept this and look at existing Helo's because of two reasons. 1) they created a mission to fit their new aircraft (over the horizon landings) even though they only have 1 piece of that puzzle (the LCAC, no AAAV, no aircraft to go with the V-22). and 2) they have spent a boatload of money so far and refuse to consider that wasted. IMHO, of course.

hmmmm!!!