MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. - The Marine Corps announced Friday it will send 10 V-22 Ospreys to Iraq this year in the first combat mission for the hybrid aircraft expected to carry troops in and out of battle at unprecedented speed.

Built by Boeing Co. and Bell, a unit of Textron Inc., the planes' deployment marks a significant reversal for an aircraft program that was nearly scrapped after two deadly test crashes and a history of mechanical failures.

The medium-size, tilt-rotor plane — which takes off vertically like a helicopter and flies likes a plane — replaces the CH-46 Sea Knight, a 39-year-old assault helicopter used in the Vietnam War.