The V-22's great if it works, but it's not clear if this plane will ever be reliable enough for operational service. My guess is that the bugs will eventually be ironed out but at great cost.

At any rate, the services want it, so we're gonna get it. This project has already sucked in a lot of cash.

In addition to the complications Larry mentioned, there is the further major problem of the very high hydraulic pressures used in this aircraft.

I'm just pulling these figures out of my memory, but I believe the V-22's hydraulics operate at 5,000 psi rather than the 2,000 psi systems on most aircraft. Of course, the V-22 has unique control requirements, and its designers elected to go with the more powerful but more troublesome system.

What is the Future Combat System, anybody know?

sp