The U.S. Navy on June 12 signed a second multiyear procurement (MYPII) contract for production of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircrafts. The...
The Bell Boeing V-22 Program, a strategic alliance between Bell Helicopter and Boeing, was awarded the five-year U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) contract for the production and delivery of 99 V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, including 92 MV-22 models for the U.S. Marine Corps and seven CV-22 models for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command.
Valued at approximately $6.5 billion, the contract is structured to provide nearly $1 billion in savings to the U.S. government compared with procurements through single-year contracts. The contract also includes a provision permitting NAVAIR to order up to 23 additional aircraft.
The V-22 Osprey is a joint service, multirole combat aircraft that uses tiltrotor technology to combine the speed and range of a fixed-wing airplane with the vertical performance of a helicopter. With its nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its nacelles can be rotated to transform the aircraft into a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
Since 2007, the V-22 has been continuously forward-deployed in a range of combat, humanitarian, and special operations roles. Ospreys continue to transform US Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force and Air Force Special Operations by enabling missions not possible with conventional helicopters.
There are currently 214 V-22 Ospreys in operation worldwide. They have amassed nearly 200,000 flight hours, with more than half of those logged in the past three years.
In 2008, NAVAIR awarded a five-year, $10.4 billion contract to Bell Boeing for 141 MV-22 Ospreys for the Marine Corps and 26 CV-22 Ospreys for the Air Force Special Operations Command. The first MYP contract covered purchases of aircraft from fiscal 2008-2012.
