Patuxent River, MD - November 11, 2011 – The Bell Boeing V-22 Program, a strategic alliance between Bell Helicopter, a Textron Company [NYSE: TXT] and The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced that the V-22 Osprey titlrotor will be featured at the Dubai International Air Show in the United Arab Emirates from November 13 – 17.
“The Dubai Air Show is one of the world's fastest growing aerospace events and it presents an excellent opportunity for Bell Boeing to showcase the tiltrotor Osprey's one-of-a-kind capability, unique value proposition and outstanding record of operational performance with a new audience,” said John Rader, executive director of the Bell Boeing V-22 Program. “The V-22 is the right solution for Middle East customers seeking range, speed, payload, and mission flexibility for military and humanitarian operations.”
The Dubai International Air Show is a biennial show held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is organized in cooperation with the Government of Dubai, the Department of Civil Aviation and Dubai International Airport in collaboration with the UAE Union Defense Forces. Now in its 22nd year, the show is a key international aerospace show.
The V-22 Osprey is a joint service, multirole combat aircraft that uses tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. With its nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, its nacelles can be rotated to transition the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
The Osprey is currently flown by the U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and the operational fleet has amassed more than 130,000 flight hours, nearly half of which have come in the past two years. A total of 10 Marine Corps and two AFSOC squadrons are operational today, and the two services have together logged 16 successful combat, humanitarian, ship-based or Special Operations deployments since 2007.
“The V-22 is proven and forward-deployed, supporting combat operations and responding to contingency operations around the world,” said Marine Corps Col. Greg Masiello, head of the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275) at the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). “The Osprey brings unprecedented range, speed and survivability to the warfighter and will continue to excel in combat and remain ready, effective and survivable.”
According to Naval Safety Center records, the MV-22 has had the lowest Class A mishap rate of any rotorcraft in the Marine Corps during the past decade. The aircraft’s reduced susceptibility, lower vulnerability and advanced crashworthiness have made it the most survivable military rotorcraft ever introduced.
“At 130,000 flight hours, safety, survivability and operational efficiency have become standards of the operational fleet,” said Willie Andersen, deputy program director for the Bell Boeing V-22 Program.
In early November, the Naval Air Systems Command Joint V-22 program office was awarded a U.S. Department of Defense Packard Award for efforts in reducing cost-per-flight-hour. Fiscal Year 2010 Navy flight-hour cost data also show that the Osprey has the lowest cost-per-seat-mile (cost to transport one person over a distance of one mile) of any U.S. Navy transport rotorcraft.
More than 150 Osprey tiltrotors are currently in operation. Marine Corps MV-22s are currently deployed in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit supporting contingency operations, while AFSOC CV-22s are deployed in support of ongoing Special Operations missions.
About Bell Helicopter
Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell Helicopter's global workforce serves customers flying its aircraft in more than 120 countries. Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at http://www.textron.com/.
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