The U.S. Navy’s new tiltrotor aircraft for transporting personnel and cargo from shore bases to aircraft carriers achieved initial operational capability on Dec. 14.
Rear Adm. Andrew Loiselle, director of Air Warfare Division within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, said in a Friday Navy article that the IOC designation was the result of the CMV-22B Osprey’s successful maiden deployment in summer 2021.
“It is a vote of confidence from top Navy leadership that the design, testing and production of this aircraft meet the logistical needs of the carrier air wings designated to fly the CMV-22B,” shared U.S. Marine Corps Col. Brian Taylor, the V-22 joint program manager.
Built by the Bell–Boeing team, the CMV-22B can carry up to 6,000 pounds of load across 1,150 nautical miles and is set to replace the service branch’s decades-old C-2A Greyhound aircraft.
The aircraft is assigned to Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 30 on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, on which it contributed to the detachment’s 98 percent mission completion rate and 75 percent mission capable rate during its maiden deployment.
“This aircraft went from first flight to first deployment in 19 months; a feat possible through the dedication of the Navy’s acquisition, engineering, test and operational communities, as well as industry, all working in tandem, toward a common goal,” noted Taylor.
Bell Boeing is currently in contract to produce 44 CMV-22Bs, 14 of which are already with the Navy, and is expected to secure a full operational capability designation for the aircraft by 2023.