Pentagon will cut $1.1B from Osprey aircraft program
By Suzette Parmley
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Defense Department plans to cut $1.1 billion from the Marine Corps' V-22 Osprey aircraft program. The decision, which was not announced publicly by the Pentagon, was first reported in today's issue of Inside the Navy, a trade publication.
The move could force naval officials to slash orders for the Marine version of the Osprey by 19 aircraft in the coming years, according to a Boeing spokesman.
The Osprey, a hybrid between a helicopter and an airplane, is manufactured by Boeing Co. in its Ridley Township plant in Delaware County, and by Amarillo, Texas-based Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. The Pentagon approved full-rate production of the aircraft on Sept. 28, after five years of uncertainty over its fate because of three fatal accidents, a series of mishaps and lingering questions over safety.
The ruling by the Defense Acquisition Board to proceed with the $50 billion program meant that at least 458 V-22's will be delivered to the Marines, Air Force and Navy. Last week's decision by the Pentagon could affect the overall number of Ospreys that the Marines are scheduled to receive under the program.
Boeing's Ridley plant was authorized to increase production to 16 aircraft in fiscal year 2007. Boeing spokesman Jack Satterfield said today the budget cut would cover a much broader scope of the program and not a reduction in the number of immediate aircraft.
"It takes money out of the program, but not necessarily for the next fiscal year," Satterfield said. "I would assume we would move up to 16 aircraft in 2007 as scheduled."
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Contact staff writer Suzette Parmley at 215-854-2594 or sparmley@phillynews.com. |
