US Marines prepare V-22 Osprey for first combat deployment

The U.S. Marine Corps is preparing its new V-22 Osprey aircraft for their first combat deployment, expected later this year, program manager Col. Matt Mulhern said Wednesday.

Bell Helicopter unit make the V-22 tilt-rotor, which can take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane. The Marines say the program is on track, despite periodic technical snags.

For example, the V-22s were briefly grounded by a flight computer problem that took a few weeks to resolve. Also, the Marines have sought to improve the aircraft hydraulics systems to make them more resilient when something goes wrong.

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