2007 YEAR IN REVIEW: OSPREY FIRST OF NEW V/STOLS TO GO TO WAR

摘要

According to the V. S. Marine Corps, the recent Sept. 17th Iraq combat assignment of the V-22 tiltrotor will be followed in 5 years (2012) by deployment of another unique aircraft, the F-35B Lighting II short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) Joint Strike Fighter. Beyond 2012, it is anyone's guess, but entirely plausible that derivatives of other new Vertical and/or Short Take-Offand Landing (V/STOL) aircraft, such as the Bell/Agusta BA609 tiltrotor, the Sikorsky X2 Technology Demonstrator and the Piasecki X-49A compound helicopter may be the first of a new generation of aircraft to appear on the future battlefield. Here's their status today.