Carlos, I will hope you recall that in the late 90's, it was still called the CH-60S Knighthawk.
I still have a coffee cup with that nomenclature on it.
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Yes, a Hawk can do Vertrep. (But it's no Phrog) Hell, I did occasional Vertrep missions in a Seahawk (SH-60B) ... doable but hardly optimal. All the internal weight cut the max we could lift on the hook ...
As to your "ditch if the gearbox fails" if > then statement, I think you neglected to read mcpave's post. He knows whereof he speaks, when it comes to the Osprey.
On the other hand, the C-2 is a proven capability, and IIRC still has numerous parts on common with the E-2, which won't be leaving the fleet any time soon. I see no reason to replace the C-2 with the V-22. Maybe I'm a dinosaur.
