4 $BILLION REASONS TO SMILE
Boeing celebrates new V-22 deal, cements work on 68 new tilt-rotors
Boeing officials at their Ridley plant yesterday made it official: They are getting a $4 billion contact to produce 58 more tiltrotor aircraft for the military.
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP » The Boeing Com. is flying high this summer with more production at its Ridley plant.
Executives of the biggest aircraft manufacturer on Monday applauded a $4.2 billion, five-year contract to build 58 tiltrotor V-22 Osprey aircrafts that will benefit various branches of the armed forces and the Japanese government. The contract provides for the manufacture and delivery of 39 CMV-22B aircrafts for the U.S. Navy; 14 MV-22B aircrafts for the U.S. Marine Corps; one CV22B aircraft for the U.S. Air Force; and four MV-22B aircrafts for the government of Japan.
Congratulations was also had for the investment of $100 million to create a new factory in Ridley set to open in 2019 to construct its Osprey vehicles and that will continue the Common Configuration-Readiness and Modernization program that will retrofit older Osprey models.
“These goals take bold commitments from all of us who are involved,” said Kristin Houston, vice president of Boeing Tiltrotor Programs and program director of Bell Boeing V-22 Program. “This is a bright future for the V-22 program.”
Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly, V-22 joint program manager, cheered the company’s moves for investing in key infrastructure like the new factory.
“This is truly a win-win for government and industry to benefit from this agreement,” said Kelly. “CC-RAM is ensuring we have V22s on the flight lines ready to go from here on out into the future. (It is) a big part of how we, as a V-22 team, are together answering the commandant’s call to be more ready and more lethal.”
“Now the aircraft is back and together we’ll count on the skill of the Bell and Boeing employees,” Kelly added. “We’re counting on you to make this a reality.
“We don’t know when or in what corner of the globe this aircraft will be called again to support this country, but we do know, and we’re confident that through CC-RAM this aircraft, and many others to follow, will be ready and aligned with the commandant’s guidance to continue to be the most ready when our nation calls.”
According to Kelly, it was a CC-RAM aircraft that evacuated Americans from the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, in February 2015.
Dennis Morris, program manager of the V-22 program at Ridley, said it’s an energizing feeling for the workforce to hear directly from their clients, which, on Monday, included high-level dignitaries from Japan.
“It’s very helpful to hear those words and the importance of what we do,” he said. Morris added that morale among employees has been up with the news of the contract which will help sustain production at the plant and the new factory being built.
“Everybody is excited about the future, not only here on the V-22 side, but also on the Chinook side as well,” he said. “We see a lot of great opportunity. Just having the multi-year contracts and guarantees for periods of time just provides for a lot of stability, not only with our suppliers but also with our workforce planning.”
The factory will be a renovation of a 350,000-square foot space at the plant for the CC-RAM assembly line and to relocate fuselage production. It will include wash/ de-paint and final paint booths, a cafeteria, and training area among other features. Morris expects the completion of the factory to keep the workforce steady.
State Sen. Tom McGarrigle, R-26 of Springfield, said he welcomes visiting the Boeing team in Ridley, noting that the V-22 Osprey and Chinook are not only essential to the defense of the country, but create good-paying jobs for the region.
“As this team celebrates the new future factory and a modernized marine corps fleet, remember to stay focused and resolute on your mission from engineering to the factory floor,” said McGarrigle. “I know your commitment to the armed forces and your customers is second-to-none.”
Picking right up from where McGarrigle left off, Vice President and General Manager of the Boeing Vertical Lift Division David Koopersmith used his brief time at the ceremony to thank the Boeing workforce.
“You are critical to the success of what is most important to usour war fighters, the people we serve day-in and day-out,” Koopersmith said. “Thank you for your dedication, your tenacity, your focus, your commitment. What you do matters every day, and together we’re going to make this airplane even better than the airplane you see before you (a 344) today.”
This latest news is in addition to Boeing’s late June announcement that the Chinook Block II will enter final assembly at the plant.