Not quite accurate Jolly.....
The vaunted Osprey is intended to replace the CH-46's and CH-53A/D's but not the CH-53E soon to be CH-53K's.
A quick google search will find numerous official sources for that statement.
Some other thoughts....
I wonder if the 53D in the photograph is one of the aircraft moblilized from Davis-Monthan AFB and restored to service for service in Afghanistan. Funny how with all the 22's the Marines have to dip into the mothballed aircraft stashed in the desert.
Again, anyway you look at it.....there is real evidence that refutes the propaganda being put forth by the Marine Corps about their Osprey program.
If we divide the total number built by sixteen or whatever the number each squadron is assigned....we come up with a heck of a lot of squadrons but as I understand it the manning right now is only four squadrons....three operational and one soon to be.
The numbers just don't add up....either in aircraft or performance....or in past deployments.
Or so it seems to me.
No Ospreys, for now, to Afghanistan - MarineCorpsTimes.com