The military's fleet of Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft is seeing more light under its wheels. Four CV-22s from the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Florida's Hurlburt Field recently returned after completing their first operational deployment supporting Exercise Flintlock 2009 in November in Bamako, Mali.
Funny they didn't choose Afghanistan or Iraq for their first "operational" deployment.
I am sure the Special Forces of Mali's military benefited greatly from the deployment at great expense of four V-22's and all the support assets that went with the deployment.
