Bell Boeing Team Congratulates Joint V-22 Program on DOD Cost Reduction Award

PATUXENT RIVER, Md., Nov. 2, 2011 - The Bell Boeing V-22 Program, a strategic alliance between The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Bell Helicopter -- Textron [NYSE: TXT], today congratulated the Naval Air Systems Command Joint V-22 Program (NAVAIR PMA-275) on receiving the U.S. Department of Defense 2011 Packard Award for acquisition excellence. NAVAIR PMA-275 earned the honor for significantly reducing costs-per-flight-hour (CPFH) across the operational V-22 Osprey fleet.

Since 2009, NAVAIR PMA-275 has teamed with industry partners, including Bell Boeing and suppliers, on a focused effort to reduce CPFH across the V-22 Osprey fleet. As a direct result of the CPFH Reduction Team's work, the actual costs for fiscal year 2010 were lower than estimated. This trend of decreasing operational costs has continued, as the fiscal 2011 CPFH figures are more than 15 percent less than those of the previous fiscal year.

“On behalf of the thousands of Bell, Boeing and supplier employees who build and maintain the Osprey fleet, congratulations to the PMA-275 team on this well-deserved honor,” said John Rader, executive director of the Bell Boeing V-22 Program. “In this challenging economic environment, it is crucial for government and industry to work together to drive down costs. Our employees take great pride in knowing their hard work in support of PMA-275’s cost-per-flight-hour reduction initiative is appreciated and recognized by the Department of Defense.”

Sponsored by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the annual David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award recognizes Department of Defense civilian and/or military organizations, groups or teams who have demonstrated exemplary innovation and best acquisition practices.

According to Col. Greg Masiello, V-22 joint program manager at PMA-275, the reduction in CPFH was accomplished through reliability and maintainability improvements, maintenance concept changes, stand-up of additional repair capability, component repair price reductions, and alternate contract strategies.

The Bell Boeing support team worked closely with NAVAIR to develop and implement a retrofit process that provided improved components to the entire operational fleet, including deployed aircraft. The team also worked together to review and improve critical maintenance and troubleshooting procedures for maintainers in the field.

“The team promoted innovative and practical ideas that provided tangible benefits to our warfighters and taxpayers,” said Masiello. “The work of this team will continue to yield benefits for years to come.”

About the V-22 Osprey Program:

A total of 10 Marine Corps and two Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Osprey squadrons are operational today, and the two services have together logged 16 successful combat, humanitarian, ship-based or Special Operations deployments since 2007. The worldwide Osprey fleet has amassed more than 120,000 flight hours, with nearly half of those hours logged over the past two years.

Safety, survivability and mission efficiency have become hallmarks of the operational fleet. According to Naval Safety Center records, the MV-22 has had the lowest Class A mishap rate of any tactical rotorcraft in the Marine Corps during the past decade. 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. naval transport rotorcraft.

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.

More than 150 Osprey tiltrotors are currently in operation. Marine Corps MV-22s are 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.