CMV-22B

Bell Boeing Joint Program Office has been awarded a $157 million order to deliver nacelle and pylon upgrades for the U.S. Navy's MV-22 and CMV-22 Osprey fleets, the Department of War announced April 10, 2026. The contract was placed against a previously issued basic ordering agreement and covers ten Nacelle Improvement Kits along with three shipsets of Pylon Support Assemblies. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River, Maryland, is managing the contract. The work spans three facilities across two states. The bulk of production — 84 percent — will take place at Bell Boeing's Amarillo, Texas location, with an additional 15 percent performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and the remaining one percent handled at Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. Completion is expected by December 2028. The order was not competed, reflecting the sole-source nature of V-22 production and sustainment under the Bell Boeing joint program structure. Funding for the award is split across two fiscal years. Some $60.67 million in fiscal year 2025 aircraft procurement funds — Navy appropriation — was obligated at award, joined by an additional $16.25 million in fiscal year 2026 aircraft procurement funds. None of the obligated funds will expire at the close of the current fiscal year, providing the program with stable near-term financing as retrofit work gets underway. The Nacelle Improvement Kits target one of the more mechanically demanding elements of the Osprey's design. The V-22's nacelles — the engine housings mounted at each wingtip — rotate through a full 90-degree arc to allow the aircraft to take off and land vertically like a helicopter before tilting forward to fly as a turboprop plane. That rotating mechanism, along with the drive systems contained within the nacelles, has historically been among the most maintenance-intensive and operationally critical portions of the aircraft. The Pylon Support Assemblies, meanwhile, form the structural interface between the nacelles and the wing, absorbing the mechanical loads generated during that transition between flight modes. Upgrades to both components are aimed at bolstering reliability and sustaining the operational tempo demanded of the fleet. The MV-22B is the Marine Corps variant, used primarily for assault support, special operations insertion, and logistics across expeditionary environments. The CMV-22B serves the Navy in the carrier onboard delivery role, replacing the aging C-2A Greyhound as the primary means of moving personnel, cargo, and critical parts — including jet engines — to and from aircraft carriers at sea. Both variants depend on the same underlying platform and share sustainment infrastructure, meaning improvements to core mechanical assemblies benefit the entire joint fleet. The nacelle and pylon assemblies sit at the heart of what makes the Osprey mechanically demanding to sustain. Retrofit kits that address those systems signal a commitment to extending the platform's service life while reducing the mechanical risk that has drawn congressional and public attention in recent years. The V-22 program has no direct replacement currently in production or under contract, making sustained investment in the existing fleet a practical necessity for both services. The Marine Corps relies on the MV-22 as a core element of its distributed maritime operations concept, where the aircraft's long range and vertical lift capability allow it to operate across the vast distances that define the Indo-Pacific theater. The Navy's CMV-22B, meanwhile, is still a relatively new addition to the carrier air wing, having only begun replacing the Greyhound in the early 2020s, giving the platform decades of expected service life ahead.

CMV-22B

TRENDING NOW

Satellite imagery suggests Russia’s tank reserve is nearly gone

Norway’s KONGSBERG buys U.S. maker of mass-produced missiles

Russia reveals how its new automated drone defense system works

Latvia gets its first HUNTER infantry fighting vehicle

Lithuanian startup builds tiny laser for drones

About The Defence Blog