A military aircraft from the United States has been spotted in the sky above Aberdeen.
The Boeing V-22 Osprey made a rare trip to the north-east on Tuesday, landing at Aberdeen International Airport in the late afternoon.
Residents took to forums and social media to share their own sightings of the aircraft, which passed over Stonehaven, Portlethen and Dyce.
Others shared other potential sightings of the military aircraft further north in Inverness and Tain.
Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey landed at Aberdeen International Airport just now.
Quite a sight & sound!@ABZ_Airport pic.twitter.com/HXVkNUe2Ug— Stuey McDuey 🏴 🇫🇴 🇺🇦 (@stueymcduey) September 13, 2022
One Twitter user shared a video of the aircraft landing at the airport, saying it was “quite a sight and sound”.
Many speculated over its registration number, what had brought it to Aberdeen and where it had flown north from.
Carrying out special operations
RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, which primarily supports the US Air Force, is home to V-22 Ospreys in the UK.
They are flown by the 7th Special Operations Squadron at the base, who are responsible for deploying or extracting troops from “hostile” locations.
Its design means it is able take off like a helicopter due to its rotors, but also has the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.
According to the US Air Force, it can travel at a maximum speed of more than 320mph.
This not the first time the V-22 Osprey has been spotted in Scotland in recent years, with sightings reported above Glasgow and Inverness.
Back in 2018, it was part of an air exercise at Leuchars Station in Fife.
Impressive photos and video footage captured at the event show the aircraft flying low over the army base.
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