Bell-Boeing Team Begins CV-22 Support at Hurlburt Field
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and industry partner Bell Helicopter this week began support services on the CV-22 Osprey aircraft for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla., after a Nov. 16 ceremony commemorating the first delivery.
Under an interim contractor support contract, awarded in October 2003, the Bell-Boeing team provides performance-based support for the first nine production aircraft in key areas such as: aircraft maintenance, reliability, supply and repairs; technical data and interactive electronic technical manuals; and engineering, information technology, field service and logistics support.
Five of the nine aircraft will be assigned to the 8th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, and the remaining four already are assigned to the 71st Special Operations Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
The CV-22 is the Air Force version of the V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor aircraft that combines the speed and range of fixed wing aircraft with the vertical flight performance of a helicopter. With its engine nacelles and rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter, but once airborne its engine nacelles can be rotated to convert the aircraft to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight. The CV-22 is jointly designed, produced and supported by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing
Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.8 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer; a foremost developer of advanced concepts and technologies; a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services.
Bell Helicopter, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., is a $1.6 billion, leading producer of commercial and military helicopters, and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce of over 7,500 employees serves customers flying Bell aircraft in over 120 countries.
Textron Inc. [NYSE: TXT] is a $10 billion multi-industry company operating in 33 countries with approximately 37,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, 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, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com.
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