Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. company, and Boeing have been awarded a $23 million contract modification by the Naval Air Systems Command for support of V-22 flight test.

This modification exercises an option for on-site support, engineering and technical analysis of flight test for V-22 aircraft for the Navy, Air Force and the government of Japan. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (50%); Fort Worth, Texas (25%); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (25%), and is expected to be competed in December 2020.

This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($8,282,783; 71%), the Air Force ($1,673,351; 15%) and the government of Japan ($1,636,856; 14%).

The Boeing’s website said the Osprey platform is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. With its rotors in vertical position, it can take off, land and hover like a helicopter. Once airborne, it can convert to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight. This combination results in global reach capabilities that allow the V-22 to fill an operational niche unlike any other aircraft.

For its part, Bell noted that V-22 Osprey is the world’s only production tiltrotor aircraft.

The V-22 has been battle-tested in combat and contingency operations throughout the world. Commanders demand the V-22 when they need to carry out the toughest missions in the most challenging operating environments. The V-22’s multimission capabilities reshape what is possible, both on and off the battlefield.

Currently, the V-22 fleet of tiltrotor aircraft has topped the 500,000 flight hour milestone. More than 375 Ospreys logged the hours, including the U.S. Air Force CV-22 and the U.S. Marine Corps MV-22.