Republican U.S. Senator-elect Pat Toomey said he was impressed with innovations taking place on assembly lines for the Chinook Helicopter and Osprey V-22 at Boeing after a tour of the company’s plant in Ridley Township on Wednesday morning.

A recent report from the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform suggested the Osprey program should be capped at 288 units — 192 less than originally contracted for — though Toomey said that was not part of the larger discussion he had with union leaders and management Wednesday.

“I’m sure the folks at Boeing are very well aware of the various opinions within the Pentagon about the Osprey,” he said. “At this point, I’m trying to get up to speed and understand the role that they (the Osprey and Chinook) play … both for employment purposes here in Pennsylvania as well as for our national security purposes.”

Toomey said he did agree with other recommendations from the commission, however, such as simplifying the tax code and the notion that the Pentagon’s budget is not sacrosanct.