Boeing, Marines, Navy Celebrate $115 Million V-22 Facility

PHILADELPHIA
— Boeing, the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy celebrated the
transformation of a 350,000-square-foot facility outside Philadelphia into a
modern factory where company employees will build fuselages for the V-22 tilt-rotor
aircraft and modernize the MV-22 fleet for the Marines.

“Boeing’s
$115 million investment supports U.S. and international demand for the
unrivaled capabilities of the V-22,” said David Koopersmith, vice president and
general manager of Boeing Vertical Lift. “We started this project two years ago
in a mothballed building. Now, it is a state-of-the-art manufacturing center
for the only in-service tilt-rotor aircraft in the world.”

The new
factory will improve safety and productivity, lower operating costs and reduce
Boeing’s environmental impact. It will be home to the Common Configuration-Readiness
and Modernization (CC-RAM) program that standardizes the Marine Corps Osprey
fleet by upgrading previously built aircraft to the new Block C configuration.
The factory will also house fuselage production for Navy, Air Force, Marines,
and international Osprey customers.

“The V-22
readiness program is our No. 1 priority,” said Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly,
the V-22 joint program manager. “The CC-RAM program is key in meeting our
readiness goals and returning capable and reliable aircraft to Marine units
around the world.”

Boeing employs about 4,600 people
in Pennsylvania and supports 16,000 direct and indirect jobs in the
commonwealth.