This is the untold story of the V-22 Osprey—the aircraft that revolutionized military aviation despite facing the most vicious political and media assault in Pentagon history. From boardrooms to battlefields, from Capitol Hill hearings to the dusty landing zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, this gripping account reveals how a radical flying machine survived attempts to kill it and became a backbone of American military operations worldwide.

The critics were relentless. Politicians called it wasteful. Journalists declared it unsafe. Even some military leaders wanted it scrapped. But the Marines, Air Force, and Navy personnel who flew it knew better. They saw what the Osprey could do—carry troops farther, faster, and safer than any aircraft before it.

The proof came in combat. When American forces needed to reach remote outposts, conduct daring rescues, or insert special operations teams behind enemy lines, they called on the Osprey. The aircraft that "couldn't work" became the one they couldn't do without.

Through exclusive interviews with the pilots, crew chiefs, maintainers, and commanders who lived this transformation, Dr. Laird delivers the definitive account of how military innovation really happens—not in think tanks or laboratories, but in the hands of warriors who refuse to accept limitations.

This is more than the story of an aircraft. It's the story of how American military forces adapt, overcome, and dominate—even when the odds are stacked against them.

"An assault support aircraft without comparison." —LtGen (Retired) Karsten Heckl

Companion to A Tiltrotor Enterprise: From Iraq to the Future