[Vulture6]

The newest CH-46 was built in 1974. There have been no new airframes since then... only rebuilds.

My point, though obscure, is that we've been sitting on the Osprey for well over a decade while our Congress and defense contractors play games to get enough pork spread over enough congressional districts to get the damn thing (or some other medium lift replacement) built. We've all had friends die in a phrog falling out of the sky when the damn thing should have been retired years ago. So, the Osprey needs to be pushed forward with full realization that bumps, and crashes, and unfortunately deaths, will go right along with it. We played too many games with funding back in the 90s to back off from or slow down the Osprey now.