An RAF Chinook helicopter has delighted aviation fans after it was spotted carrying out low-level training across Greater Manchester 'to be ready for global operations'.
The tandem rotor aircraft was spotted over parts of Oldham and also over Salford on Monday afternoon.
Chinook helicopters have been used by the UK armed forces since the 1980s and were first used in combat during the Falklands War from 1982. They are used for heavy-lifting, troop transportation and visiting dignitaries by the UK armed forces.
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They are most easily recognised by the unusual 'wocka wocka' sound the 60ft-rotor blades make whilst chopping through the air. One alone can carry up to 55 troops or up around 10 tonnes of cargo.
They are a regular sight in the skies over Greater Manchester and famously helped to repair the breached dam at Toddbrook Reservoir in Whaley Bridge in 2020.
Today an RAF spokesperson said: "A RAF Chinook from RAF Odiham, Hants, completed routine operational training and low flying in north west England today, such training ensuring that our crews continue to be ready for global operations."
Today the aircraft visited Pirbright training base, re-fuelled at Manchester Barton and completed a troop movement at Caerwent in south Wales.
The RAF carries out training in a variety of different places and environments around the UK to 'maximise training benefit'.
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