RIDLEY PARK, PA—Boeing announced last week that it’s manufacturing facility here will take on a $4.2 billion contract to build 58 variants of V-22 Ospreys for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and government of Japan over the next 6 years. The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that the contract was awarded to a joint venture of Boeing Co. and Bell Helicopter and will stabilize the facility’s operations through 2024.

Of the 58 V-22s ordered, 39 will go to the Navy, 14 to the Marine Corps, one to the Air Force and four will head to Japan.The 350,000 square-foot facility, which is undergoing a $100 million renovation to build a new factory to produce the V-22s, will open early next year.

“By combining aircraft for three services and a key U.S. Ally into one multiyear order, the U.S. Navy gets more capability for its procurement dollar,” says Kristin Houston, director of the Bell-Boeing V-22 program and vice president of Boeing’s Tiltrotor programs. “It also enables the U.S. Navy to begin advancing its carrier onboard delivery fleet with modern tiltrotor aircraft. It’s a true win-win.”

The aircraft going to the U.S. Navy will replace the C-2 Greyhound aircraft that date back to the 1960s. For the Marines, the site will also upgrade existing Ospreys to modernize them and extend their lives.