The exact figure is not plainly spelled out in publicly available information, but it is clear that around 30 CMV-22B Ospreys have already been delivered to the US Navy from remarks by USNI News regarding the recent end of the fleet-wide grounding. Following a long series of inspections and maintenance review, “eleven US Navy Ospreys, or about one-third of the current CMV-22B fleet” are ready to get back to flying.
As reported by Naval Today, “Procurement update from last week indicates five more on the way” as a recent contract update approved $590 million in funding to Bell Boeing. The latest from NAVAIR in reference to final fleet size indicates that “while the Program of Record has 48 CMV-22 projected, the Navy currently plans to procure only 44 aircraft.”
Photo: US Navy
Additional deliveries are intended to strengthen readiness before the planned retirement of older carrier onboard delivery (COD) planes, specifically the Grumman C-2 Greyhound. CMV-22B squadrons also coordinate with US Marines V-22s, integrating maintenance to boost total, fleet-wide readiness. The Navy is moving forward decisively, enabling faster seaborne response for humanitarian and combat support.
Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD)
The US Navy has been flying the Grumman C-2 Greyhound since 1966 as their primary resupply platform for aircraft carriers deployed at sea. The COD, as it is called, provides a crucial link from ship to shore that allows the transfer of sailors, mail, and other precious cargo. Now going on nearly seven decades of active service, the airframes are hitting the end of their usable service lives, and the supply of spare parts is running dry.
So why would the answer not simply be to use a helicopter? After all, the US Navy is also the operator of the largest helicopter in the western world, the Sikorsky CH-53E Stallion, and previously used the dual-rotor helicopter, the Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight, to resupply ships at sea as well.
Photo: US Navy
USNI.org states of the Osprey, “It is twice as fast, can carry three times as much, and goes six times farther than the CH-46E.”
The Osprey is simply better than all of these options because it includes the qualities of all of them. The Osprey may not lift as much weight as a CH-53 but it comes close. It may not fly as far or as fast as a C-2, but it comes close to that too. So when you want to consolidate your family of platforms without compromising capability, the tiltrotor CMV-22B is a perfect solution.
Checkered past
Safety considerations have been a theme for the entire V-22 family since even before its official debut in fleet service. Incidents involving hard clutch engagements and gearbox wear that have led to multiple accidents continue to find the fleet grounded and drive the push for improvement.
As CNN reported in December 2024, “The US Navy has ended an operational pause on its troubled fleet of V-22 Osprey aircraft, allowing flights to resume with inspections of the aircraft.”
The two-week operational pause began on December 9 when an Air Force CV-22 Osprey made what the Pentagon described as an
How Many V-22 Ospreys Does The US Navy Have?
