A Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey comes in for a landing at the Pentagon on Sept. 8, 1999, 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.