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Synopsis of V-22 Osprey Costs Data

Note: The following are from the GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE, Testimony to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, June 23, 2009, GAO-09-692T.

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  • Cost of an MV-22 is $64 million and a CV-22 is $76 million.
  • Operating costs = $11,000 per flying hour, twice the target cost.
  • 138 Ospreys have been delivered so far with 99 currently in service with the marines. The US military has 450 more on order.
  • Cost has increased over 200 percent.
  • The total cost of the V-22 program from FY1982 through FY 2008 equaled $25.7 billion, including about $9.5 billion for research and development, about $15.9 billion for procurement, and about $191 million for MilCon (military construction).

Terminated by Department of Defense in 1989 as a failure – but continued by Congress.
Faults in the V-22’s Ice Protection System in areas where icing conditions are more likely to be experienced, such as in Afghanistan, this may threaten mission accomplishment.
V-22 engines also fell significantly short of service life expectancy, lasting less than 400 hours.
Estimated immediate funding needs to remain in use are approximately $100 billion.

GAO Findings:

“Failure to re-examine the V-22 program at this point risks the expenditure of billions of dollars on an approach that may be less effective than alternatives. We maintain our recommendation for a new alternatives analysis.

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