Contract Let for ‘Tilt-Rotor’ Plane Project

The Pentagon said Friday it had decided to proceed with full-scale development of a “tilt-rotor” airplane for the military dubbed the Osprey.

The decision, disclosed in a statement and contract announcements, marks a Pentagon commitment to a program that could ultimately cost more than $20 billion for 913 planes.

The planes would be used by the Marine Corps for troop assaults and by the Army, Navy and Air Force for rescue, medical evacuation and cargo lift missions, officials said.

A contract worth $497.3 million was awarded Friday to the two-company team that has been pursuing design of the aircraft. The two are the Boeing Vertol Co., a subsidiary of the Boeing Co., and Bell Helicopter Textron, a subsidiary of Textron Inc.

Production Set for 1991

The Pentagon said Friday’s contract is the first installment of a full-scale development effort that will cost $1.7 billion. Six prototypes of the Osprey, known officially as the V-22, will be produced by the two companies, with the first production version of the plane scheduled for delivery in 1991.

The tilt-rotor concept essentially combines the wing of an airplane with the rotors of a helicopter. The Osprey’s two engines rotate into an upward position for takeoff, driving propellers that lift the aircraft in the same manner as a copter’s rotor. Once airborne, the engines drop into the normal horizontal position for conventional flight.