In May, the company announced that it was planning unspecified new routes, and recently the passenger load reached the "upper 60% range, " says Lebron.
By sizing this vehicle for internal carriage, the full tactical and operational benefits of the Osprey's speed -- approximately 270 knots in its conventional aircraft mode -- can be exploited, instead of having to externally sling-load the larger and heavier HMMWV at a much reduced range and speed.