It has meant jobs for more than 2,000 people and generated millions in business with subcontractors across the region. It has now been battle-tested in war zones and the Marines swear by it. But, to this day, there are some who want the Obama administration to end the program.
It's an aircraft that has been sought after since Leonardo da Vinci dreamed of a plane that could fly with the agility of a bird and didn't need runways. After decades of development, along comes a tilt-rotor craft called the Osprey. Looking to replace an aging fleet of ch-46 helicopters that date back to the Vietnam era, the Marines have been the biggest backer of the craft.
At their Osprey home base at New River in North Carolina, they have trained and tested the craft for decades.
"Obviously, it's a very capable airplane and we did everything any of the other helicopters and sometimes some of the C-130 missions did," maintenance officer Major Chris Murray said.
"This is definitely a Marine Corp aircraft; it has the capability that if you can think it, this aircraft can go do it," Sgt. Rodney McDowall of the U.S. Marine Corps said.
In October 2007, the Marines and Air Force flew the Osprey for the first time in a combat zone, the battlefields of Iraq and late last year in Afghanistan.
However, developing the plane has cost taxpayers over $54-billion and has killed 34 people in accidents, most recently, four in Afghanistan earlier this month. It has been grounded several times and to this day, there are some in congress who vilify it as a boondoggle, a death trap and widowmaker and that its time to end the Osprey program once and for all.
"An aircraft with a controversial past, a troubled presence and an uncertain future," Rep. Edolphus Towns (D) of New York said.
Out this week, a new book by author Richard Whittle alleges everyone from congress to defense contractors and Marine generals found amazing ways to keep the program alive.
However, those at Boeing say that after a difficult development period plagued by accidents, the V-22 now has a good track record with the Marines and Air Force.
"The reviews that we are getting, and we get constant reviews so that we can fix whatever problems we may have, is that they are absolutely overjoyed with the performance," Boeing program manager John Rader said.
"I think we've proven this aircraft in a lot of different environments, very harsh environments," Marine Osprey Commander Lt. Col. Romin Dasmazchi said. "I really do believe it's time to move on, this is the future of assault support for now in the Marine Corps."
Major Chris Murray says he can't imagine the Marine Corps without the Osprey.
The Marine Corps is confident they will ultimately prove that the Osprey has been worth its price and there are those who believe that despite its controversial past, the tilt-rotor craft will one day revolutionize civilian air travel, making it possible to fly virtually anywhere, without runways.
