Crs Report for Congress - V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft: Background and Issues for Congress October 20, 2009 - Rl31384 (Paperback)

The V-22 Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft that takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter and flies forward like an airplane. Department of Defense (DOD) plans call for procuring a total of 458 V-22s--360 MV-22s for the Marine Corps; 50 CV-22 special operations variants for U.S. Special Operations Command, or USSOCOM (funded jointly by the Air Force and USSOCOM); and 48 HV-22s for the Navy. Through FY2009, a total of 181 V-22s have been procured--155 MV-22s for the Marine Corps, and 26 CV-22s for USSOCOM. These totals include several V-22s that have been procured in recent years through supplemental appropriations bills. The proposed FY2010 budget requests funding for the procurement of 30 MV-22s and five CV-22s. The budget requests about $2.3 billion in procurement and advance procurement funding for procurement of MV-22s, and about $565 million in procurement and advance procurement funding for procurement of CV-22s. For FY2010, the V-22 program poses potential a number of potential oversight issues for Congress, including the aircraft's reliability and maintainability. A June 23, 2009, hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reviewed a number of issues concerning the V-22 program, including the aircraft's reliability and maintainability. FY2010 defense authorization bill: ...