The Bell-Boeing partnership that produces the V-22 Osprey is confident the first foreign sales of the tiltrotor aircraft will take place next year but would not identify the potential suitors.
“We have a number of countries that are extremely interested,” John Rader, the vice president for the Bell-Boeing V-22 program. “I certainly can’t tell you who they are right now.”
There are three countries in a top tier of interest that could yield sales in 2013, and there are others who have a “significant interest” but are taking a “wait-and- see” approach given the program’s troubled history, Rader told reporters during the Navy’s Fleet Week here.
“Our goal for 2013 still looks pretty promising,” he said.
Boeing [BA] builds that aircraft’s fuselage while Bell, a subsidiary of Textron [TXT], is responsible for the wings and tiltrotor nacelles.
Rader also said Canada could release a request for proposals for a search and rescue aircraft in 2013 and the V-22 could join that competition.
Marine Col. Greg Masiello, the V-22 program manager, said in April that he would welcome foreign sales because they could help lower overall production costs. The Navy and Marine Corps are seeking congressional approval for a five-year multi-year contract for 91 Marine variant V-22s and seven of the Air Force’s CV-22 version.
Bell-Boeing has been making a big international push for the V-22s, including an appearance at the Dubai Airshow that took place in November. The companies are also trying to overcome some of the skepticism stemming from the V-22’s past.
The aircraft took more than two decades to develop and work through problems that caused several fatal accidents. “There has been a wait-and-see approach on this aircraft,” Rader said, adding those problems are well behind it and it now ranks among some of the safest aircraft.
“It’s the newest oldest airplane around,” he said.