400th V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft delivered

The V-22 team recently delivered its 400th aircraft, a CV-22 for US Air Force Special Operations Command. The first production V-22 was delivered on 24 May 1999 and deliveries occur under the Multi-year Procurement III contract valued at $5 billion. That contract runs through 2024 and includes variants for the Marines, Air Force and

Navy, as well as the first international customer, Japan.

said Shane Openshaw, vice president of tiltrotor programmes and deputy director of the Bell Boeing team. “We are focused on building and supporting these incredible aircraft so our customers can complete their air, land and sea missions worldwide.”

The V-22 takes off, hovers, and lands like a helicopter yet flies long distances like a turboprop aircraft. The CV-22 variant performs special operations missions, including infiltration, extraction and resupply, that conventional aircraft cannot.The Marine Corps variant, the MV-22B, provides the safe and reliable transportation of personnel, supplies and equipment for combat assault, assault support as well as fleet logistics. The Navy variant, the CMV-22B, is the replacement for the C-2A Greyhound for the carrier onboard delivery mission.

“It has been over 20 years since the first production V-22 was delivered and we are proud to reach another milestone in our 400th delivery. V-22s continue to be in high demand, protecting our country and our allies around the world through combat operations, international training partnerships and humanitarian missions,” said Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly, programme manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275). “This platform’s impact can’t be overstated.”

The V-22 has been deployed in a variety of combat, special operations as well as humanitarian roles since becoming operational in 2007. Having accumulated more than 500,000 flight hours, the V-22 is safe, survivable and combat proven. Bell Boeing’s post-delivery support includes maintenance, modifications, supply chain expertise, data analysis and more than 160 field operations employees embedded at customer locations.

“I want to thank everyone who has made the V-22 successful for their hard work and dedication to the women and men who operate the Osprey,”