And the VTOL idea lives on, and lives large, in the Boeing V-22 Osprey . In this 1998 test flight, a development-stage Osprey carried a 6,500-pound Humvee at speeds up to 120 knots. Production of the often controversial tilt-wing aircraft is now under way. The U.S. Marine Corps has a small number of them already, some of which are scheduled to arrive in Iraq for combat duty shortly.
The Osprey has a three-person crew, and it can carry 24 passengers or up to 20,000 pounds of cargo. Boeing lists the aircraft's speed at 250 to 300 knots, with a range of 100 nautical miles when performing amphibious assault with troops.
A civilian counterpart, the
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