Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey
The Navy's carrier delivery Osprey — bigger sponsons, longer range, the C-2 Greyhound's successor · First flight 2019 · In service 2021
The CMV-22B is the US Navy's carrier onboard delivery (COD) variant, bought to replace the twin-turboprop C-2 Greyhound that shuttled passengers, mail and spare parts out to aircraft carriers. The Navy and Marine Corps signed the agreement to use the V-22 for this mission on 5 January 2015; the aircraft was first called HV-22 and was officially designated CMV-22B in February 2016.
It is based on the MV-22B but has an extended-range fuel system with extra bladders in larger external sponsons — its only external difference — for an unrefuelled range of about 2,130 km (1,150 nmi). It also gains a high-frequency radio for over-the-horizon communication and a public-address system for passengers. Unlike the C-2, which could only deliver to carriers, it is certified to operate from amphibious and logistics ships as well.
The Navy ordered its first 39 in June 2018, and its requirement was later set at 44. The first CMV-22B flew at Bell's Amarillo, Texas plant in December 2019, deliveries began in 2020 and initial operating capability came in 2021. The first deployment began that summer aboard USS Carl Vinson with Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 30 (VRM-30).
