Photos: V-22 Osprey deploys to Iraq

The first production V-22 is seen here under construction in 1998 at Boeing's Philadelphia site. The fuselage, Boeing says, was built in three major pieces: the forward section, including the cockpit and avionics/electronics racks; the center section, with the main cabin, the landing gear and the wing attachment points; and the aft fuselage, with the rear ramp and the empennage (tail) attachment points.

Delays and cost overruns are a seemingly inevitable part of any big defense project, but the Osprey seems to have had more than its share. By Time magazine's tally, the Defense Department has invested more than $20 billion in the aircraft since the early 1980s--and could spend $35 billion more as the Marines, Navy and Air Force eventually get 458 Ospreys. The most notorious delay came in 2000 after V-22 crashes killed 23 Marines.