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Caption:
Visitors surround a Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey at the Pentagon on Sept.
8, 1999. The Osprey was flown to the Pentagon grounds 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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