US Marine Corps takes delivery of final MV-22B Osprey, completing program of record

The Marine Corps took delivery of its 359th MV-22B Osprey on July 28, 2026, closing out the service’s Program of Record and signaling a shift from fielding new aircraft to sustaining and modernizing the fleet for the long term.

Designed as a tiltrotor to combine helicopter-style vertical lift with the speed and range of a turboprop airplane, the MV-22B has become the Corps’ primary assault support aircraft, able to launch from amphibious ships or austere shore locations and quickly move people and cargo over far greater distances than legacy rotorcraft. Officials say Marine Expeditionary Units use the aircraft to expand operational reach virtually anywhere around the world.

“The MV-22B didn’t just join our fleet; it fundamentally changed the way the Marine Air-Ground Task Force generates combat power,” said Lt. Gen. William Swan, Deputy Commandant for Aviation. “It provides commanders with decision space that only speed and reach can provide, connecting ships, bases and distributed forces in ways previous generations could only imagine. Today, Marine commanders build operations around the assumption that the MV-22B will be there.”

Since achieving initial operational capability in 2007, Marine MV-22Bs have logged more than 686,500 flight hours across 114 operational deployments, supporting combat, contested logistics, medical evacuations, and disaster relief missions from forward locations worldwide. The Osprey now accounts for roughly three-quarters of all Marine Corps rotary-wing assault support, according to the service.

“Completing the MV-22B Program of Record is a significant milestone,” said Col. Robert Hurst, V-22 Joint Program Office Program Manager. “The V-22 Osprey sets the United States apart from every other military on the planet with the operational employment of tilt-rotor technology. The delivery of the MV-22B has extended the reach and lethality of the United States Marine Air-Ground Task Force for 20 years, and it will continue to be a game-changer on the battlespace. We remain focused on efforts to enhance fleet readiness, capability and modernization of the MV-22B Osprey, the backbone of the Marine Corps for decades to come.”

With the final aircraft delivered, the Corps is pursuing a modernization plan intended to keep the MV-22B in service through 2055. Near-term efforts include overhauling nacelle wiring to cut maintenance time, standardizing configurations across the fleet, redesigning select components to improve safety and sustainment, and pursuing improved prop-rotor gearboxes that use triple-melted, refined steel parts.

“We cannot assume that because the MV-22B transformed Marine aviation once, its evolution is complete,” said Swan. “It is our responsibility to carry this legacy forward and ensure this aircraft remains ready, relevant, safe and lethal for the fight ahead.”

The milestone comes after a period of heightened scrutiny for the V-22 enterprise, including a fleetwide stand-down in late 2023 following a fatal Air Force CV-22 crash off Japan and a phased return to flight in 2024. Marine leaders say the current upgrade path is aimed at driving reliability and safety improvements while preserving the aircraft’s speed and range advantages that underpin distributed operations.