V-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Aircraft: Background and Issues for Congress

Jeremiah Gertler
Specialist in Military Aviation

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 plans call for procuring a total of 458 V-22s, including 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 FY2011, a total of 247 V-22s have been procured—211 MV-22s for the Marine Corps, and 36 CV-22s for USSOCOM. These totals include several V-22s that have been procured in recent years through supplemental appropriations bills. V-22s are currently procured under a $10.4 billion, multiyear procurement arrangement covering the period FY2008-FY2012. The contract, which was awarded on March 28, 2008, covers the procurement of 167 aircraft—141 MV-22s and 26 CV-22s.

The proposed FY2012 budget requested about $2.5 billion in procurement and advance procurement funding for 30 MV-22s, and about $499.9 million in procurement and advance procurement funding for six CV-22s, with $70 million of that from Overseas Contingency Operations funds.

For FY2012, the V-22 program poses a number of potential oversight issues for Congress, including the aircraft’s readiness rates, reliability and maintainability, operational suitability, and whether to approve a follow-on multi-year procurement contract. 

FY2012 defense authorization bills: H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as passed by the House, and the Senate Armed Services Committee report (S.Rept. 112-26 accompanying S. 1253) cut Overseas Contingency Operations funding by $70 million for one CV-22 and $15 million for V-22 modifications. The House cited the funds as having been provided earlier, in H.R. 1473, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011. 

FY2012 DOD appropriations bills: In its report accompanying H.R. 2219 (S.Rept. 112-77), the Senate Appropriations Committee added $2.8 million in Navy V-22 procurement funds for “voice recorders and Navy-identified shortfall,” cut Navy procurement $10.5 million for engineering change orders and $4.5 million for “deficiencies modifications other support growth” and “reliability modifications other support growth,” and cut $10 million from Air Force V-22 R&D. The House-passed version of H.R. 2219 deleted $9 million from Air Force V-22 advance procurement request for an “unjustified increase” and $15 million from Navy V-22 procurement for “support funding carryover.” Both bills also cut $70 million procurement and $15 million in modifications requested as Overseas Contingency Operations funding.


Date of Report: October 6, 2011
Number of Pages: 34
Order Number: RL31384
Price: $29.95

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