Scots found themselves staring skyward yesterday after spotting an unusual military plane circling above Glasgow Airport – the latest in a string of sightings in recent days.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey was spotted flying overhead around Glasgow at around 6.30pm before landing outside the city.
Although it has an airplane-shaped fuselage, the Osprey uses two helicopter-style rotors, which means it can take off vertically rather than having to use a runway to take off.
A snap of the plane sitting at Glasgow Airport was captured by keen photographer Thomas Flynn.
Photos and videos of the unique tiltrotor aircraft have also been shared by curious locals on social media.
(Image: Thomas Flynn/whatthomassaw.com)
One person said on Twitter: ‘Unusual aircraft circling low over East Glasgow at 6.29pm today. Not on flight radar. Potentially a Bell-Boeing Osprey?’
Another added: “V22 Osprey flying over Glasgow right now. Is it normal here now?”
Glasgow users of the Reddit message board website were impressed with the distinctive airship.
“I saw it myself over Partick. Pretty wild kit,” one noted.
Although the plane’s origin and final destination are unknown – military aircraft movements largely hidden from publicly available platforms like FlightRadar24 – ospreys have been spotted in UK airspace in the past.
The United States Air Force (USAF) keeps the aircraft at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, where it is used by the 7th Special Operations Squadron for top secret missions involving US special forces.
Mildenhall, along with its sister base Lakenheath, is under USAF control despite being a British military base.
The Scots on the east coast were treated to the sight of a squadron of USAF aircraft earlier this month.
The formation of fighter jets and a tanker plane used for refueling was spotted over Fife to the east and the Isle of Skye to the west as it headed towards the Atlantic to return home.
And earlier this week, residents of Glasgow spotted a massive Royal Air Force plane performing loops over the city as part of a night-flying training exercise.
