Bell Boeing delivers first modified Osprey for improved fleet readiness


Boeing and Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, have delivered the first modified MV-22 Osprey to the United States Marine Corps for improved readiness and reliability of the tiltrotor fleet.

Boeing test pilots conduct the maiden flight of the first V-22 Osprey under the Common Configuration – Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) program. Boeing Photo

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The Marines have multiple configurations of the MV-22 aircraft in service. Under the Common Configuration – Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) program, Bell Boeing is reducing the number of configurations by upgrading block “B” aircraft to the current block “C” configuration.

“Our first CC-RAM aircraft returning to Marine Corps Air Station New River was a key program benchmark,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col Matthew Kelly, program manager, V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275). “We are excited to see the capability, commonality and readiness improvements these CC-RAM aircraft bring to the fleet as part of the Marine Corps’ V-22 readiness program.”

As a block “B” configuration, this MV-22 was originally delivered to the fleet in 2005. In 2018, the aircraft flew from Marine Corps Air Station New River to the Boeing Philadelphia facility for modernization.

 

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“This milestone marks the beginning of an Osprey evolution,” said Kristin Houston, vice president of Boeing Tiltrotor Programs and director of the Bell Boeing V-22 Program. “Through a shared focus on safety and quality, the Bell Boeing team is delivering modernized MV-22 aircraft that are ready to serve our dedicated servicemen and women who rely on this essential aviation resource.”

The next CC-RAM delivery is expected in early 2020.

“We look forward to having the remaining MV-22 block ‘B’ aircraft rejoin the fleet in a block ‘C’ configuration,” said Kelly.

In November 2019, the U.S. Navy awarded Bell Boeing $146,039,547 to upgrade nine additional MV-22 aircraft under the CC-RAM program, with work expected to be completed in March 2022.

  
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