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Bell –Boeing V-22 Osprey

🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1989· tiltrotor military transport aircraft

🚁 helicopter 2× turboprop ✓ still flying
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. USAF CV-22B Osprey 11-0058 RIAT 2023 06: Julian Herzog ( Website )· CC BY 4.0
  2. 2. 20080406165033!V-22 Osprey refueling edit1: Chief Petty Officer Joe Kane (U.S. Navy)· Public domain
  3. 3. AHMEC V-22: Mlickliter· CC BY-SA 3.0
  4. 4. Bell-Boeing CMV-22B Osprey of VRM-30 in flight over the Pacific Ocean on 17 August 2023 (230817-N-TD381-2097): U.S. Navy photo by Mass CommunicationSpecialist 3rd Class Isaiah B. Goessl· Public domain
  5. 5. Bell-Boeing CVM-22B Osprey of VRM-50 lands on USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on 12 March 2022 (220312-N-DU622-1010): U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Justin McTaggart· Public domain
  6. 6. Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey '168284 - 02 - 3' (25992573793): Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
  7. 7. CV-22 Osprey (29429078350): US Air Force from USA Airman 1st Class Joseph Pick· Public domain
  8. 8. CV-22 Osprey - RIAT 2015 (19988442549): Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
  9. 9. CV-22 Osprey - RIAT 2015 (cropped): Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
  10. 10. CV-22 Osprey - RIAT 2017 (38727361971): Airwolfhound from Hertfordshire, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Bell–Boeing V-22 Osprey, photo 1 of 10
1/10 Julian Herzog ( Website )· CC BY 4.0

what is it?

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-use, tiltrotor military transport and cargo aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. As the first production aircraft of its type, it is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft, and is operated by the United States and Japan. It first flew in 1989, and after a long development was fielded in 2007.

How to recognise it: 2 turboprops · 11.6 m main rotor

base stats

  • speed 509 km/htop speed
  • range 1,628 kmwithout refuelling
  • seats 32passengers
  • size 17.9 tmax take-off weight
  • built 400made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 37 years ago, in 1989.
  • Top speed is 3.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 14 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
  • Range of 1,628 km: 9× Amsterdam to Brussels.

turboprop: A jet-style turbine turning a propeller: efficient on short hops.

spec sheet

first flight
1989-03-19
introduced
2007
status
still flying
number built
400
role
tiltrotor military transport aircraft
origin
🇺🇸 United States
makers
Boeing, Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, Bell Textron
engines
2× Rolls-Royce T406-AD-400
crew
3
passengers
32
length
17.5 m
wingspan
14 m
rotor diameter
11.6 m
height
6.7 m
max take-off weight
17.9 t
top speed
509 km/h
range
1,628 km
ceiling
7,620 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q217935, Wikipedia: Bell–Boeing V-22 Osprey (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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