[tarheelswamprat]

What worries me about these types of vehicles is that there are now thousands of former qdaffi manpads,shoulder fired weapons, floating around the mid-east in the hands of who knows whom. My question is how many would it take to shoot down one of these Osprey by a terror type standing under a tree where he can’t be seen?

That is an excellent question. One of the most oustanding qualities of the A-10 was it's survivability. It can take a tremendous amount of punishment and still keep flying. A simple web search will easily show many pics from Iraq and Afghanistan that show A-10's shot almost to pieces that still brought their pilots home safely. I don't believe the Osprey's have anywhere near that kind of toughness.

[rodguy911]

I don't know aircraft at all but your logic seems impeccable.

[okie01]

I don't believe the Osprey's have anywhere near that kind of toughness. The A-10's job is to get up-close-and-personal with the enemy at ground level. Consequently, it's highly offensive...and built tough.

The Osprey's job is to deliver troops and supplies to forward areas -- which the A-10 can't do. It would be a good thing if the Osprey could defend itself -- and pass out a little punishment -- while it's performing this role.