Two very unique US Marine Corps aircraft thundered over Nottingham this week as part of an ongoing operation.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys, which have rotors that can tilt and allow for a Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL), passed over Nottingham city and the Lady Bay area just after midday on Monday, May 10.
Residents in Lady Bay managed to capture the two aircraft as they cut through the air, rotors pointing forward, as part of an operation known as Strike Warrior.
They are the only tilt-rotor aircraft of their kind in the world and came upon the innovative ideas of Bell and Boeing Helicopters following the failure of Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis of 1980.
According to the Royal Navy, the two USMC MV-22B Ospreys landed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth as they "delivered the final party of personnel from VMFA-211, the US Marine Corps F-35 squadron."
VMFA-211 is a US Marines fighter attack squadron that flies the F-35B Lightning II aircraft.
They are typically based in Arizona, but were delivered to the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier as part of Operation Strike Warrior.
Strike Warrior involves 10 nations, with 31 submarines and 150 aircraft, and is taking place to mirror a range of conflict situations that could happen in the real world.
The operation will finish at the end of May, with many exercises taking place in Scotland, when all involved personnel will then embark on missions across the world.
V-22 Ospreys, worth around £43 million, are based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk following the US's expansion of operations.
They are also commonplace in Norfolk.
They can fly at speeds of up to 300mph and have a very distinctive sound, which prompted many people in Nottinghamshire to look up into the sky where they were greeted by the unusual sight.
