The year 2004 was one of accomplishment for the V-22 program and essential in getting the program on the right track to a successful Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) and full-rate production milestone in 2005.

The V-22 Integrated Test Team flew nearly 900 hours in 2004, conducted two successful at-sea deployments, executed aircraft icing testing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and completed all developmental testing needed for OPEVAL, including a very successful combined Operational Testing/Developmental Testing austere environment test period at Nellis AFB in Nevada.

"The V-22 aircraft has gone through exhaustive developmental testing to address high rate of descent, shipboard suitability and other testing aimed at proving the V-22 is a safe and effective platform for the warfighter," said Mike Tkach, V-22 program director.

The V-22 Osprey is a multi-mission, multi-service, vertical-lift, tilt-rotor aircraft that brings greatly increased speed, range, payload and survivability compared to existing helicopters. It blends the versatility of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing turboprop. The V-22 provides significant improvements in combat capabilities, including speeds twice that of conventional helicopters as well as increased payloads, survivability, self-deployability, reliability and maintainability. Although the MV-22 is designed to support missions currently assigned to legacy rotary wing aircraft (CH-46E and CH-53D), its tilt-rotor performance will revolutionize future expeditionary operations.

The V-22 is produced by Bell Boeing, the world's only tilt-rotor manufacturers. Boeing in Philadelphia, Pa., has responsibility for the fuselage and all subsystems, digital avionics, and fly-by-wire flight-control systems. Bell Helicopter, Textron, Inc., located in Forth Worth, Texas, is responsible for the wing, transmissions, empennage, rotor systems and engine installation.

The V-22's Integrated Test Team conducts MV-22 flight testing at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, in Maryland while flight testing for the CV-22 is conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. To date, 14 V-22 aircraft had been delivered to VMX-22, the Marine tilt-rotor test and evaluation squadron based at USMC New River, N.C. and eight aircraft are part of the ITT. "The V-22 flight test program continues to be one of the most rigorous, thorough, and methodical programs in aviation history," said Tkach.

The V-22 Program of Record is 458 total aircraft – 360 MV-22s for the U.S. Marine Corps, 50 CV-22s for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command and 48 HV-22s for the U.S. Navy.

One of the challenges facing the program is affordability. Today, the cost for one V-22 is $72 million, which all agree is too expensive to build in large quantities. The main thrust of the affordability effort is to reduce the cost to $58 million by fiscal year 2010 through various affordability initiatives and a unified approach from the customer, Boeing, Bell Helicopters and the V-22 Joint Program Office. "The main thrust of the affordability effort is to bring the cost down to a point where our customers can buy the V-22 in thequantities they need to support their missions," said Tkach. "This will enable the program to provide an effective, suitable and affordable product of the highest quality, reliability and maintainability for the warfighter."

The V-22 Osprey program invested $56 million in Fiscal 2003 to implement 26 cost-reduction initiatives, and is reviewing numerous new ideas that follow strict implementation guidelines. The affordability teams at Boeing and Bell are focused on processes that enable the generation, submittal and implementation of cost reduction ideas developed by the V-22 Integrated Product Teams. The plan calls for investment of more than $250 million over the next four years, and a multi-year procurement contract, which reflects the program's goal to slash the aircraft unit price from the current $72 million to $58 million by FY 2010.

By providing the speed and capacity to rapidly move forces and supplies from ships directly to the operational objectives, the MV-22 will prove itself a key component of future expeditionary forces, and provide unmatched operational and tactical agility for on-scene commanders.