The U.S. Navy has awarded the Bell Boeing Joint Program Office a $4,191,533,822 contract modification to convert the previously awarded V-22 tiltrotor aircraft advance acquisition contract to a fixed-price-incentive-fee multiyear contract, according to a Boeing news release. The contract provides for the manufacture and delivery of a total of 58 V-22s – 39 CMV-22B carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft for the Navy, 14 Marine Corps MV-22Bs, one special operations CV-22B for the Air Force, and four MV-22B aircraft for the government of Japan. Japan was the first international Osprey customer.

“Bell Boeing is pleased to extend production of the V-22, supporting our warfighters with one of the most versatile and in-demand platforms in the U.S. arsenal,” said Chris Gehler, Bell vice president for the V-22 Program. “This multiyear production contract provides program production stability through at least 2024.”

The Navy will use the CMV-22B for transporting personnel and cargo from shore to aircraft carriers, a role that the Northrop Grumman C-2 Greyhound performed since the mid-1960s. The CMV-22B competed against a modified and updated Greyhound offering for the COD mission.

“By combining aircraft for three services and a key U.S. ally into one multiyear order, the U.S. Navy gets more capability for its procurement dollar,” said Kristin Houston, vice president, Boeing Tiltrotor Programs and director, Bell Boeing V-22 Program. “It also enables the U.S. Navy to begin advancing its carrier onboard delivery fleet with modern tiltrotor aircraft. It’s a true win-win.”