Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, and Boeing have delivered the 400th V-22 Osprey to the United States Department of Defense. The U.S. Air Force Special Operations command received the CV-22 on June 2, marking a milestone for the world’s first production tiltrotor aircraft. The CV-22 is the Special Operations Forces (SOF) variant of the V-22 Osprey. The CV-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft that combines the vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing qualities of a helicopter with the long-range, fuel efficiency and speed characteristics of a turboprop aircraft. Its primary mission is to conduct long-range infiltration, exfiltration and resupply missions for Air Commandos around the world and at a moment’s notice.
The Marines received the first production V-22 on May 24, 1999 and today, deliveries continue under the Multi-year Procurement III contract, valued at $5 billion through 2024. The contract includes all variants of the aircraft: Marine, Air Force, Navy and the first international customer, Japan. The V-22 is the world’s first tiltrotor aircraft in production, combining the vertical takeoff, hover and vertical landing qualities of a helicopter with the long-range, fuel efficiency and speed characteristics of a turboprop aircraft. With the V-22 expected to be in service beyond 2040, capability enhancements and readiness initiatives are program priorities.
The V-22 Osprey’s combination of speed, range, payload and vertical lift are ideally suited to the diverse environments, geographies and mission-types performed by operators around the world. The Marine Corps variant, the MV-22B, provides the safe and reliable transportation of personnel, supplies and equipment for combat assault, assault support and fleet logistics. Since 2007, it has been continuously forward-deployed in a range of combat, humanitarian and special operations. The Navy variant, the CMV-22B, is the replacement for the C-2A Greyhound for the carrier onboard delivery mission.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft. The failure of Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis in 1980 underscored the requirement for a new long-range, high-speed, vertical-takeoff aircraft for the United States Department of Defense. The V-22 production line is currently on its third multi-year procurement contract.
