Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey Aircraft Reaches 500K Mission Hours; Chris Gehler Quoted

Over 375 V-22 Osprey tiltrotors built by a Boeing–Bell Helicopter joint venture have logged 500K operational hours in support of U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force missions.

Textron said Monday the aircraft carried out relief assistance in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian and helped military personnel perform missions within austere environments.

The joint venture, which sustains V-22 systems through training, data analytics and maintenance efforts, has partnered with the V-22 program office to augment the aircraft’s capacities.

“We are committed to providing unparalleled support to our partners by steadily improving Osprey readiness and capabilities now and in the future,” said Chris Gehler, vice president of Bell’s V-22 Program and deputy program director of Bell Boeing V-22.

Textron noted the joint venture will hand over the CMV-22 Osprey variant to the Navy in 2020.