Boeing, Marines, Navy celebrate $115 million V-22 facility

Boeing, the US Marine Corps, US Air Force and US Navy celebrated the transformation of a 350,000-square-foot facility outside Philadelphia into a modern factory where company employees will build fuselages for the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft and modernize the MV-22 fleet for the Marines.

"Boeing's $115 million investment supports US and international demand for the unrivaled capabilities of the V-22," said David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager, Boeing Vertical Lift. "We started this project two years ago in a mothballed building. Now, it is a state of the art manufacturing center for the only in-service tiltrotor aircraft in the world."

The new factory will improve safety and productivity, lower operating costs, and reduce Boeing's environmental impact. It will be home to the Common Configuration – Readiness and Modernization (CC-RAM) program that standardizes the Marine Corps Osprey fleet by upgrading previously built aircraft to the new Block C configuration. The factory will also house fuselage production for Navy, Air Force, Marines, and international Osprey customers.

"The V-22 readiness program is our number one priority," said US Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly, V-22 Joint Program Manager. "The CC-RAM program is key in meeting our readiness goals and returning capable and reliable aircraft to Marine units around the world."