Le Bourget, France—After nearly 30 years of development and production, the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft might soon be available for export, said Boeing Military Aircraft President Chris Chadwick. Speaking to reporters here Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, Chadwick said Boeing has “held discussions with several international customers” about buying V-22s. “As we add capacity . . . and as we work on cost reductions,” the V-22 could become more attractive, and the US government seems to have no objections, he said. Each of Boeing’s products is working toward “an affordability target,” Chadwick noted, and when the V-22 reaches that point, “there’s a good chance for international sales.” He also thinks the Navy may buy additional V-22s to backfill aging C-2 Greyhounds used for transporting cargo and passengers between aircraft carriers and shore bases.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.