Retired MV-22 Pilot Praises Osprey's Advancements and Continued Mission Readiness
Colonel Chris “Mongo” Seymour, USMC (Ret.), an early test pilot of the V-22 Osprey and a veteran of its first combat deployment in Iraq in 2008, recently test-flew a new production MV-22 in the summer of 2026. Seymour, who retired from service in 2013, expressed significant praise for the aircraft's advancements, stating that later production models are "exponentially better" than those he flew in the 1990s and early 2000s. He emphasized the Osprey's continued safety, reliability, and readiness for its intended missions, calling it a "game changer" that was ahead of its time and remains so. In July 2026, Bell Textron celebrated a production milestone for the MV-22 Program of Record, with 359 MV-22 aircraft produced and delivered to the United States Marine Corps, which operates the largest fleet. Team Osprey, comprising over 500 U.S.-based suppliers and 27,000 employees across 44 states, is now focused on fleet-wide sustainment and upgrades to ensure the MV-22 Osprey fleet flies until 2055. Bell and Boeing...
