22 fast facts on the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey

1. The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is the world’s first successful military tiltrotor to take to the air and the largest active production line for tiltrotors.
2. In March 1989, the V-22 took off for its first flight in Arlington, Texas.

3. The Boeing Vertical Lift division headquarters in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, supports a worldwide fleet of V-22 fuselages. The V-22 main assembly facility is in Amarillo, Texas, commonly known as Rotor City USA due to the V-22’s profound presence in the Texas Panhandle skies.
4. The production group behind the V-22, more commonly known as “Team Osprey,” consists of more than 500 U.S.-based suppliers and employs over 27,000 people across 44 states.

5. Known as a versatile aircraft, the V-22 has deployed to several combat and humanitarian operations, provided earthquake relief, and aided with hurricane response across the globe.
6. The V-22 is a joint service military provider, with the U.S. Marines, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and Japan Ground Self Defense Force currently operating their own variants of the V-22 model — MV, CV, CMV and Japan MV, respectively.

7. In the V-22’s 34 years of service, more than 475 have been ordered to complete combat and humanitarian missions worldwide.

8. Coupled with a rotating wing and rotors that fold horizontally, the V-22 can be stored aboard an aircraft carrier or assault ship, allowing the tiltrotor aircraft to be transported to complete missions worldwide.

9. The V-22 is used for a wide range of missions, including long-range infiltration, exfiltration, medium-range assault, special operations, VIP transport, resupply, disaster relief, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and humanitarian missions.

10. This multi-engine aircraft is equipped with dual Rolls-Royce Liberty AE1107C engines.
11. Up to 24 personnel can sit inside the tiltrotor aircraft.
12. With aerial refueling capability using high-speed drogues, the V-22 allows continuous flight for several hours or more.
13. The V-22 travels nearly twice as fast as most average helicopters.
14. The V-22’s speed and wide coverage area allows for rapid response time during the “golden hour,” or the first and most critical hour after an incident.
15. The V-22 is equipped with complete runway independence technologies, allowing it to take off and land wherever it’s needed the most.
16. At present, the V-22 has surpassed more than 700,000 flight-hours.
17. The V-22 has made more than 40 notable appearances in movies and video games, including the “Transformers” and “Call of Duty” series.
18. In December 2021, Bell Boeing began offering improvement kits for the V-22’s two nacelles, to increase the reliability rate and boost mission readiness.
19. The CV-22 nacelle improvement program recently surpassed 1,000 flight-hours, strengthening endurance for its full range of military operations.
20. Equipped with modern fly-by-wire controls, the V-22’s high-tech equipment allows for less pilot workload and more situational awareness.

21. The V-22 model was developed from more than 85 years of Bell pioneering innovative vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) configurations like the X-14, X-22, XV-15 and eventually the V-22.
22. With corrosion-resistant coatings and bladefold for shipboard storage, the V-22 is designed to successfully navigate in the world’s harshest environments.

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