Bell Boeing to Provide New, Upgraded CV-22 Trainers

The Air Force has awarded the Bell Boeing V-22 team a $34 million contract for three new CV-22 training devices and upgrades to the existing cabin part task trainer and two fuselage aircrew/maintenance trainers at Kirtland AFB, N.M. The CPTT is the only device that provides V-22 emergency egress training, according to a release from the companies. Hurlburt Field, Fla., and Cannon AFB, N.M., will receive two new cabin operational flight trainers—a full fuselage used to ensure concurrency on the aircraft. “The new COFTs will be made from the first CV-22 test flight vehicles,” said Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president for training systems and services. “They and the upgraded CPTT include enhancements to provide high-fidelity training in nearly two dozen tasks.” The improvements will make training more realistic and connect COFTs and CV-22 aircrew trainers at the same bases together. Initial training is slated to begin in mid-2014 at all three bases.