The Osprey can be considered as the first successful tiltrotor aircraft. Several hundreds have been built so far. It was developed from the Bell XV-15 research aircraft, and can be considered as an enlarged version of it. The V-22 has a 'regular' fuselage, although the large cockpit windows are more like often found on helicopters. There is a retractable refuelling probe at the lowe right side of the nose. At the end the rear fuselage slopes up, enabling load via a ramp than can be lowered. Above is an H-tail, with the majority of the vertical stabilisers above the horizontal ones. The aircraft has a retractable landing gear with double wheels on all legs. The main gear retracts in bulges at the sides of the fuselage. The Osprey has fairly short wings with big nacelles at the tips. The whole nacelles can be tilted ninety degrees, from fully forward to vertical. Typical are the rectangular exhausts at the back. The turbo engines power three-blade rotor/propellers.

The different versions of V-22 can be distinguished by looking at

• the number and shape of sensors on the nose
• the size of the cockpit windows at the feet level
  
• the shape of the sponsons at the side of the lower fuselage
  

Naturally, being a new technology aircraft everything had to be tested well. Hence four V-22A prototypes were built. They are characterised by a lack of sensors on the nose and side of the fuselage. Also, it has larger cockpit windows at the level of the crew's feet. FInally, the trailing edge of the vertical stabilisers has a saw tooth, with the lower part being longer than the top part.

The USAF version of the Osprey is designated CV-22B and is used for special operations. Compared to the US Marines MV-22Bs is has an extra sensor on top of the nose, of centre to the left, and one halfway the trailing edge of the vertical stabiliser. Other sensors remain. With respect to the V-22A above it has smaller bottom cockpit windows and a straight trailing edge of the vertical stabilisers.

As a replacement for the Grumman C-2 Greyhound a new carrier-on-board-delivery (COD) version of the Osprey was developed, called CMV-22B. It has an enlarged fuel storage because the sponsons have been widened in front of the main landing gear. For the rest it is externally the same as the MV-22B.

The most popular version of the V-22 family is the MV-22B, operated by the United States Marine Corps and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force. Externally it is nearly the same as the CV-22B, but with less sensors on the nose and tail.