Tiltrotor VTOL transport ·First flight 1989 · In service 2007
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor: it lifts off vertically like a helicopter, then rotates its engine nacelles forward to fly like a fast, long-ranged turboprop.
That hybrid trick gives it roughly twice the speed and range of the helicopters it replaced, letting Marines and special-operations forces reach far-off objectives without a runway.
