Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey Logs 450K Mission Flight Hours; Chris Gehler Quoted

More than 375 V-22 Osprey tiltrotors, built by a Boeing–Bell Helicopter joint venture, have recorded more than 450K flight hours in support of multiple missions worldwide to date.

The aircraft supported various operations in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq, hurricane response in the U.S. and earthquake relief efforts in Japan and Haiti, Bell Helicopter's parent company Textron said Tuesday.

The first V-22 flew three decades ago in Arlington, Texas. Bell-Boeing produces the aircraft at facilities in Amarillo and Philadelphia while Rolls-Royce manufactures the engines at an Indianapolis facility.

"Osprey continues to prove that tiltrotor technology has many benefits for operators challenged in the toughest environments,” said Chris Gehler, vice president of Bell's V-22 Program and deputy program director of Bell Boeing V-22.

The industry team collaborates with the U.S. Marine Corps in efforts to simplify designs for active V-22 readiness improvements and reduce the number of configurations for the fleet.

According to Textron, the U.S. Navy plans to deploy a new V-22 model to transport cargo and personnel.