page_title: Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey
section_title: U.S. Navy
hierarchical_section_title: Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey / Operational history / U.S. Navy
caption_attribution_description: English: A U.S. Navy Bell-Boeing CMV-22B Osprey (BuNo 169435) lands at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (USA), on 2 February 2020, after completing a ferry flight from the Bell Assembly Center in Amarillo, Texas (USA).
context_page_description: The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing, and short takeoff and landing capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft.
  The failure of Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis in 1980 underscored the requirement for a new long-range, high-speed, vertical-takeoff aircraft for the United States Department of Defense. In response, the Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental aircraft program started in 1981. A partnership between Bell Helicopter and Boeing Helicopters was awarded a development contract in 1983 for the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. The Bell Boeing team jointly produce the aircraft. The V-22 first flew in 1989, and began flight testing and design alterations; the complexity and difficulties of being the first tiltrotor for military service led to many years of development.
  The United States Marine Corps began crew training for the MV-22B Osprey in 2000, and fielded it in 2007; it supplemented and then replaced their Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knights.
context_section_description: The V-22 program originally included Navy 48 HV-22s, but none were ordered. In 2009, it was proposed that it replace the C-2 Greyhound for carrier onboard delivery (COD) duties. One advantage of the V-22 is the ability to deliver supplies and people between non-carrier ships beyond helicopter range. Proponents said that it is capable of similar speed, payload capacity, and lift performance as the C-2, and can carry greater payloads over short ranges, up to 20,000 lb, including suspended external loads. The C-2 can only deliver cargo to carriers, requiring further distribution to smaller vessels via helicopters, while the V-22 is certified for operating upon amphibious ships, aircraft carriers, and logistics ships. It could also take some helicopter roles by fitting a 600 lb hoist to the ramp and a cabin configuration for 12 non-ambulatory patients and 5 seats for medical attendants. Bell and P&W designed a frame for the V-22 to transport the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine of the Lockheed Martin F-35.
  On 5 January 2015, the Navy and USMC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to buy the V-22 for the COD mission, and was confirmed in the Navy's FY 2016 budget. Initially designated HV-22, four aircraft would be bought each year from 2018–2020. It incorporates an extended-range fuel system for an 1,150 nmi (1,320 mi; 2,130 km) unrefueled range, a high-frequency radio for over-the-horizon communications, and a public address system to communicate with passengers; the range increase comes from extra fuel bladders through larger external sponsons, the only external difference from other variants. Its primary mission is long-range logistics, other conceivable missions include personnel recovery and special warfare. In February 2016, the Navy officially designated it as the CMV-22B. The Navy's program of record originally called for 48 aircraft, it later determined that only 44 were required. Production begun in FY 2018 and deliveries start in 2020.
  Bell Boeing have pitched the V-22 as a platform for various missions, such as communications, electronic warfare, or aerial refueling; the Navy has a known gap in tactical aerial refueling. Other roles include search and rescue and anti-submarine warfare.
  The Navy ordered the first 39 CMV-22Bs in June 2018; initial operating capability is anticipated to be achieved in 2021, with fielding to the fleet by the mid-2020s. The first CMV-22B made its initial flight in December 2019, which was announced publicly on 21 January 2020.
caption: A CMV-22B in February 2020
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image DateTime": "2020:02:17 14:11:13", "Image ExifOffset": "2142", "Image Padding": "[]", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "96", "Thumbnail YResolution": "96", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "4360", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6622", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "B566C78520B548FB88526F61188D432B", "EXIF Padding": "[]"}