NAVAIR Orders Two MV-22B Osprey

An MV-22B Osprey prepares to land on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on Feb. 15. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas V. Huynh

ARLINGTON, Va. — Naval Air Systems Command has ordered two MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft and provided funds to continue the modernization of the Osprey fleet.

According to the Feb. 28 Pentagon contract announcement, NAVAIR awarded Bell-Boeing a $165.3 million contract under the fiscal 2020 defense budget for the two MV-22Bs and for repairs to the existing Osprey fleet under the Common Configuration Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) program.

The CC-RAM program is designed to reduce about 70 different sub-configurations of the Osprey fleet to standard configurations. Most of the existing Osprey fleet is the Block B configuration. Bell-Boeing delivered the first of 129 Block B MV-22Bs to be converted to Block C standards to the Marine Corps on Dec. 10.

The Block C incorporates upgrades added as a result of lessons learned in combat deployments of the Osprey. The upgrades include improved cockpit displays, a display in the passenger/cargo cabin, chaff and flare dispensers and a weather radar.