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| AAV First introduced in the 1970's. Modified in the 1980's. Expected to serve well past 2025. |
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| MV-22B First introduced in about 2005 (sketchy..first deployment 2007) Approx 160 on hand (examples diverted to HMX-1) Original plan called for 502, was reduced to 360 and now increased back to 406 |
When you have enough V-22's to send several over to HMX-1....then you're either playing politics or you have enough to take care of your active duty squadrons.
Weird fact? No one is explaining how the Marine Corps justified the increase in baseline MV-22 buys after reducing it to 360.
Look around any defense blog or forum and you will see they are all obsessed with aircraft. The UK is about to introduce two carriers they will be struggling to equip with aircraft, yet British defence blogs will often talk of buying LHDs and LPHs. All US campaigns in recent decades have started with a massive TLAM bombardment. Yet many would happily see new classes of manned bombers built. Fixed wing CAS in the Sandbox has hardly been an overwhelming success. Suggest more PGM and AH and you giving all sorts of reasons why fixed wing air is needed; my favourite is the noise of a low pass shatters moral, doesn't seem to have done a lot to curb the Taliban. What does shatter moral is an artillery barrage, followed by a few thousand Marines. It kills the enemy's moral but is it kills the enemy. Simple. Troops with rifle getting in close and artillery is what kills the enemy. Air power is nice. But it is a subsidiary system. Ask the Serbs. Ask the Marsh Arabs.
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