Sestak touting long-term benefits of completed Osprey deal

The Delco Times reports that the DoD has completed approval for the Navy and Air Force purchase of 167 V-22's through 2012.

When production ramps up in 2009 and 2010, Satterfield said Boeing would have to increase the labor force. "It would probably generate more than one shift in employment," he said.

Sestak said he came away from a Tuesday meeting with Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter feeling the V-22 program and the Ridley Boeing plant are on very solid ground.

"The secretary and I talked about the importance of retaining an excellent skill base," he said. "That legacy of skill is evident at the Boeing plant and it goes back generations. If you let that skill base go away, you can’t just gear up the next time you need it.