Fleet Surpasses 23,000 Flight Hours

The Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey team told ANN Tuesday it met its 2006 delivery commitment of 13 MV-22 Ospreys delivered to the US Marine Corps, and three CV-22s to the US Air Force Special Operations Command.

"We promised our customers we would deliver 16 V-22s in 2006, meeting our delivery commitments for the second consecutive year," said Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey Program Office Executive Director Bob Kenney. "This accomplishment tops a year in which the Bell Boeing V-22 team achieved several major milestones."

Furthermore, the V-22 fleet surpassed 23,000 total flight hours for 2006, including 16,000 squadron flight hours. The program will surpass 25,000 total flight hours in the coming months.

The Marines stood up two MV-22 squadrons in 2006: VMM-263 and VMM-162. The Air Force stood up the 8th Special Operations Squadron and completed their Operational Utility Evaluation of the CV-22 in order to begin training combat CV-22 crews.

As Aero-News reported, two MV-22 Ospreys participated in the 2006 Farnborough Airshow as well as the Royal International Air Tattoo, where they impressed onlookers and future customers with their maneuverability and speed.

"2007 will be a challenging year for the Bell-Boeing Program Office," Gene Cunningham, deputy Bell Boeing Program Office director said, "but our challenges pale in comparison to the Marines of VMM-263 as they take their MV-22s into combat. We have a laser focus on supporting their deployment, and our prayers, as well as our best efforts, will follow them."

Under the current program of record, the Marine Corps will purchase 360 MV-22s for missions including amphibious assault, ship-to-objective maneuvers and sustained operations ashore. The Navy is slated to get 48 MV-22s, for fleet logistic support and search and rescue. The Air Force Special Operations Command will acquire 50 CV-22s with enhanced capabilities tailored for their unique mission requirements.

Tiltrotor technology combines the high speed and range of fixed-wing airplane with the vertical lift capabilities of a helicopter into one efficient and extremely capable aircraft, providing military customers with significant improvements in combat capabilities.

The Bell Boeing Program Office is a strategic alliance between Bell Helicopter, a Textron company, and Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, a division of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

FMI: www.boeing.com/rotorcraft/military/v22/index.htm