Boeing looking to replace osprey?

But the V-22 is not without its flaws. Besides killing 23 Marines in two crashes, a decade ago, the V-22 has proved to be something of a lightweight, in terms of lifting capability. “No tilt-rotor can carry what an equivalent helicopter can carry, period,” Nick Lappos, a Bell exec, wrote in a Web forum in 2003, before he was hired by Bell. “For the same empty weight and installed power, a tilt-rotor carries half the payload, and goes the same range as a helicopter.”

Part of the problem is that a tilt-rotor’s wings are dead weight, when the bird is hovering. Plus, wings have what’s called a “download” effect, in a hover — meaning they essentially block some of the aircraft’s lift.

Boeing wants to remedy that, somewhat, with a brand-new tilt-rotor design, to follow the V-22...

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