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Caption:
A Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey comes in for a landing at the Pentagon on
Sept. 8, 1999, to demonstrate its capabilities before an audience of
Department of Defense officials, members of Congress, and news
reporters. The Osprey is the first operational aircraft to
utilize tiltrotor technology. Taking off like a helicopter, the
Osprey's engines then rotate forward 90 degrees to create a
conventional aircraft configuration permitting high-speed,
high-altitude, fuel-efficient flight. For landing, the engines
again rotate to the vertical allowing the aircraft to land in
helicopter fashion. The U.S. Marine Corps plans to acquire 360
Ospreys by the year 2013, with the U.S. Navy and Air Force planning to
purchase about 50 each. The Marine version can transport 24
combat-equipped personnel or a 15,000-pound external load. DoD
photo by R. D. Ward (RELEASED)
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