The following images were shot at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, on Dec. 15, 2013, when students from the Infantry Officer Course (IOC) completed a “Proof-of-Concept” 1,100 mile, long-range operation from Twentynine Palms, Calif., to Fort Hood, Texas via MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.
The Marines used the Osprey to fast-rope into a mock city, secure the embassy and rescue key U.S. personnel.
David Cenciotti is a freelance journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written four books.
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