Bell [TXT] Boeing [BA] will begin V-22 work for the U.S. Navy in a contract awarded last week worth $4.2 billion.
The new CMV-22B variant will serve as the Navy’s future carrier onboard delivery aircraft.
The contract is a modification to a prior acquisition contract and provides for the manufacture and delivery of 39 CMV-22B aircraft for the Navy, 14 MV-22B aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps, one CV-22B for the U.S. Air Force and four MV-22B aircraft for Japan — a total of 58 tiltrotors. Delivery is expected to begin in 2020.
The Navy will use the new aircraft for transporting personnel and cargo to aircraft carriers. The aircraft will replace the C-2 Greyhound. The entire transition is expected to last until 2026.
“By combining aircraft for three services and a key U.S. ally into one multi-year order, the U.S. Navy gets more capability for its procurement dollar,” said Kristin Houston, Boeing’s VP of tiltrotor programs and director of Bell Boeing’s V-22 program.
This was originally published in sister publication Rotor & Wing International.