Air Warriors

Perhaps the most controversial war machine ever to have taken to the skies, this part-plane, part-helicopter has had a chequered career. Created after the bungled attempt to rescue 52 American hostages in Iran in 1980, the early life of the Osprey was fraught with failure- including a crash during the first demonstration which killed 7 people. A further 29 people have lost their lives in Ospreys. The story of the U.S. Marine's V-22 Osprey is one of transformation. It can convert from helicopter to plane, and back again. But what led to its invention? And how did it survive more than two decades of political turmoil and media scrutiny? Join us as we look back on this historic tiltrotor's tumultuous history. We detail how it escaped the political chopping block, how it built its reputation in battles and on humanitarian rescue efforts, and how it ultimately transformed the landscape of military aviation forever.