The Bell-Boeing joint project office in Amarillo, Texas has won a US$23 million contract extension to fund the ongoing flight testing and evaluation of the V-22 Osprey test aircraft. The funding awarded earlier this month is an extension to a US$58 million contract awarded in February 2017 for technical support and flight testing of the avionics, flight controls and software for the military tilt-rotor.

The work is being performed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland and the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. The V-22 Osprey is used by the US Marines. Its twin rotor engines are used for vertical take-off and landing and can be tilted forward for lateral flight, allowing for higher speeds and increased endurance compared to conventional helicopters. The tilt-rotor aircraft can carry 24 fully equipped Marines and has a range of nearly 600 miles (965km).