“Team Osprey”: Supporting the V-22 Fleet and Warfighter

As squadron and air station commander for the U.S. Navy, I remember my days flying in the Sikorsky H-60 and Boeing T-45. Back then, I took for granted the work of the original equipment manufacturers (OEM), and the role they played in building and maintaining the aircraft. I never understood the full scale of the materials and manpower that went into the making the aircraft. I simply viewed the OEM as the “fixer” for any issues.

Now, as a strategic pursuits senior manager with Bell, I add five years of aviation industry experience to my perspective as a veteran and former naval aviator. As a result, I have a comprehensive view of how to help the warfighter fight and win.

The V-22 Osprey is an example of industry members partnering to serve the evolving and emergent needs of the military. For more than 30 years, the rotorcraft has fundamentally changed how the U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy operate in combat and humanitarian operations. As lead manufacturers of the Osprey, Bell and Boeing collaborate with a team of dedicated and skilled experts, known as Team Osprey, to continuously drive innovation for building and sustaining the powerful platform.

The Team Osprey consortium includes more than 500 suppliers that span across nearly every state. These suppliers provide thousands of individual parts that are critical to the tiltrotor’s production and sustainment requirements. This is a strong, collective force whose sole purpose is to support every sortie.

In addition to managing and contributing to the aircraft’s supply chain, Team Osprey has strong partnerships with aircraft operators and maintainers, both uniformed and civilian, from various commands across the Department of Defense.

Team Osprey’s participation in industry events and hosting of annual working group meetings fosters relationships with government and military leaders, providing opportunities to exchange ideas and feedback. This interaction is critical for the platform’s current and future operations.

At the last Team Osprey working group meeting, an Air Force mission commander shared the story of a daring personnel recovery mission in Africa. Multiple CV-22s supported a long-range nighttime hostage rescue mission. The operation included flying over 1,700 nautical miles each way and multiple in-flight refueling evolutions.

Hearing this account directly from a customer, confirming that the Osprey was the only aircraft capable of such a job made a lasting impression on Team Osprey members, reaffirming our dedication to the product and the mission.

Stories like this illustrate the unique versatility of the V-22, the critical solution it providers to the warfighter and the need to sustain this valuable aircraft for current and future missions.

As the military prepares to bolster defensive efforts across the globe and the Pentagon moves forward on it’s newly created National Defense Industrial Strategy, Team Osprey is well positioned to deliver for decades to come.

Christopher Misner, Bell Senior Manager, Military Sales and Strategy

“The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.”

Image Sources:

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/8082845/resolute-dragon-23-ftx-vmm-262-jgsdf-bilateral-flight

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/8082847/resolute-dragon-23-ftx-vmm-262-jgsdf-bilateral-flight