ST. LOUIS, 2 Nov. 2009. Boeing [NYSE: BA] and partner Bell Helicopter won a contract from the U.S. Navy to upgrade the CV-22 Cabin Part Task Trainer (CPTT) with modifications including an aircrew flight simulation (AFS) that use virtual reality technology fused with video imagery. The upgrade will be delivered to Air Force Special Operations Command, 58th Training Squadron at Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, N.M. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The CPTT is a full-fuselage device that is used to train flight engineers on the CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. The AFS process integrates real and virtual environments in an image processor. This enables the student to view the interior cabin environment and the simulated outside world in a composite picture sent to the student's helmet-mounted display.

"This is an innovative approach that allows students to train on 'real time' cargo air drops, parachute drops and emergencies, including wing fires, hydraulic leaks and engine smoke," says Mark McGraw, Boeing vice president of Training Systems & Services. "This modification opens the door to future upgrades that could enable simulated mission operations with separate cockpit flight simulators, where the CPTT could 'fly' with the cockpit simulator on a common mission."

The team's latest effort is part of an ongoing development program for the CV-22 CPTT.

The V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft manufactured by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems and Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. [NYSE: TXT] company. Bell and Boeing are teamed in a Strategic Alliance Agreement for the design, production, and sustainment of the V-22.