Endangered Species

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Critics had warned that the V-22 Osprey, a craft combining the vertical talents of a helicopter and the horizontal speed of a normal airplane, would become "a stone in the air" if it lost power while making the change from one mode to the other. Tragically, that proved to be the case for the prototype tilt-rotor aircraft as it was landing at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia. Just as the Osprey was shifting from horizontal to vertical flight, with its propellers at a 60 degrees angle, it plunged into the Potomac River, killing all seven people on board.

The accident immediately cast further doubt on an innovative program Defense Secretary Dick Cheney has repeatedly attacked. But despite the catastrophe, the Osprey managed to survive a general drive to trim defense costs as the Senate Armed Services Committee made its final changes in the 1993 defense authorization bill. The committee endorsed the House figure of $775 million for Osprey prototypes, though it mandated that only 50% of the funds can be spent until the Marine Corps Commandant reports fully on the crash. Surprisingly, the Senate agreed with the House figure of $4.3 billion for the Strategic Defense Initiative. The committee recommended total spending of $274.5 billion, $7 billion below President Bush's request and $3.5 billion higher than what the House was willing to spend.