v-22 ospreys have had serious problems and many have crashed so they are not currently using them.
Thanks for giving us our daily dose of wrong
The V-22 has had problems but not one has been more serious than what you should expect during any other development program of a radical new design.
They have crashed a few, not "many".
They are currently using them not only in training, but also in combat operations. Of course, until they actually start taking fire, we won't know if they're as fragile as critics say they are.
Not only that, they are still undergoing operational qualifying trials for more and more tasks for the various services that plan on buying them, and both development and procurement are going on at a reasonably quick pace. Although it's not the robust solution that operators and critics really wanted, one example of a retrofit upgrade being worked on is a flexible mounted gun so the thing can shoot back. The last I heard, they were mounting a .30 machine gun in the back. Critics wanted at least a .50 in a turret under the plane, but that would probably result in severe payload restrictions and at the very least reduced range and speed due to increased drag. Still, a .30 in the tail is better than nothing.
Apparently the special operations command is also going to buy some, equipped with the latest gadgets. It'll fly farther and faster than any helo they have, and that could be a big jump in their operational capability.
