Over the last few years, the Bell/Boeing MV-22 / CV-22 has had a checkered safety record, not to mention an extensive development program. Having first flowing in 1989, this bird has seen quite a bit of action since its deployment in 2007. The problem of its complex engineering has led to several accidents, raising the question: "is a complex tilt-wing rotor craft still a viable option for the US military in the later half of the 21st century? It would seem as the mission of the V-22 is still necessary (covert insertion/extraction / off-shore cargo delivery / Marine & Special Forces delivery / troop transportation) but could theoretically be handled by a safer platform. Can this airframe withstand the coming decades or will necessity and tragedy force the creation of a new and improved system like or unlike the concept of the Osprey?
However, in 2024, the Pentagon announced the development of the Bell V-280 Valor, a “replacement for the V-22”, but it is skeptical whether or not this with come to fruition as the development information is sketchy at best, details are limited, and the supposed capacity comes nowhere close to the Osprey’s:
