Vought is the largest structures supplier to the Bell/Boeing
team for the V-22. The company's Dallas facility is responsible
for the complete engineering, design and production of the
empennage, ramp and ramp door. In addition, Vought's Milledgeville
facility builds V-22 side skin assemblies, sponson and main
landing gear panels.
 The V-22 Osprey is a tilt rotor aircraft developed by the Navy/Marine Corps and the tilt rotor team of Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing Defense and Space Group. It is the world's first production tilt rotor aircraft and will replace the aging CH-46E and CH-53D helicopters as the Marine Corps' medium-lift aircraft.
Designed to carry 24 combat-equipped troops, or 10,000 pounds internally (15,000 pounds externally), it can attain speeds over 300 mph and altitudes close to 25,000 feet. The aircraft has demonstrated its ability to lift an HMMWV, the military's multi-purpose all-terrain vehicle.
The MV-22 has completed its Operational Evaluation - a comprehensive series of tests designed to evaluate the aircraft's operational effectiveness and suitability - and was rated operationally effective and suitable for land operations.
Low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the MV-22B was authorized in 1997, and fabrication of the first five production aircraft was underway in late 1997. Seven more MV-22 aircraft were authorized in fiscal year 1998, seven in FY 1999, and 11 in FY 2000. The quadrennial defense review recommended accelerating production to 30 MV-22s per year to provide 360 Ospreys to the Marine Corps by 2014.
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