Air Force Special Operations Command will up-armor its CV-22 Osprey fleets through a sole source contract to Florida-based The Protective Group, according to a notice posted this week. The Advanced Ballistic Stopping System is a panel system to be applied to the Ospreys in multiple configurations “based upon mission need/requirements,” the notice states. The armor will protect both the aircrew and “critical components” of the aircraft. The Protective Group has already provided 16 kits to AFSOC. The amount of the order, and the total price, has not been announced.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…