The Bell Boeing V-22 team recently delivered its 400th aircraft, a CV-22 for U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida.
The first production V-22 was delivered on May 24, 1999, and deliveries now occur under a multi-year procurement 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.
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 can’t. The Marine Corps variant, the MV-22B, transports personnel, supplies, and equipment for combat assault, assault support, and fleet logistics. The Navy variant, the CMV-22B, is the replacement for the C-2A Greyhound for the carrier onboard delivery mission.
The V-22 has been deployed in a variety of combat, special operations, and humanitarian roles since becoming operational in 2007, having accumulated more than 500,000 flight hours.
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.
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