U.S. Navy said to opt for Bell-Boeing V-22s for carrier deliveries

The U.S. Navy plans to buy V-22 tiltrotor aircraft built by Boeing Co and Textron Inc's Bell Helicopter unit to replace the older C-2A turboprop aircraft it now uses to ferry passengers and cargo to aircraft carriers, two people familiar with the issue said late Tuesday.

The sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that top Navy and Marine Corps officials had signed a memorandum of understanding on Jan. 5 that maps out their plans to use the V-22 for the carrier on-board delivery (COD) mission.

The news, first reported earlier Tuesday by Breaking Defense, an online defense magazine, marks a blow to Northrop Grumman Corp, which built the original C-2A planes and had proposed building a modernized version of the planes.

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