The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the high-speed long-range cruising performance of a turboprop aircraft.The failure of Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis in 1980 underlined the need for long-range, high-speed, vertical take-off aircraft for the United States Department of Defense (DoD). In response, the Joint-service Vertical take-off/landing Experimental (JVX) aircraft program was initiated in 1981. A partnership between Bell Helicopter and Boeing Helicopters was awarded a development contract in 1983 for the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. The Bell Boeing team co-produced the aircraft. [3] The V-22 first flew in 1989 and began flight testing and design changes; The complexity and difficulty of being the first tiltrotor for military service led to years of development.

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) began crew training for the MV-22B Osprey in 2000 and fielded it in 2007; it complemented and later replaced their Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knights. The US Air Force (USAF) fielded their version of the tiltrotor, the CV-22B, in 2009. Since entering service with the Marine Corps and Air Force, the Osprey have been deployed in transport and medevac operations over Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Kuwait. The U.S. Navy plans to deploy the CMV-22B for carrier onboard ship assignments starting in 2021.