Spectacular sight for Londoners as RAF and US Army Chinooks soar over capital

RAF and US Army Chinooks took to the skies over London, capturing the attention of many with their impressive flyovers through the city's heli-lanes.

The flight was part of Exercise Dark Lightning, aimed at enhancing interoperability and strengthening the partnership between the UK and US armed forces.

Affectionately known as The Hook among US military personnel, the Chinook is a twin-engine, tandem-rotor helicopter renowned for its heavy lifting capabilities.

• Military to get new Chinooks that can fly twice as far in £2bn deal with Boeing
• We give you: The Chinook helicopter in all its glory
• Turbo view: Fly above the clouds in a stunning vertical climb with Typhoon display pilot

A CH-47 Chinook, accompanied by two MH-47 Chinooks from the US Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), passed over central London along the River Thames in the late afternoon.

The 160th SOAR, also known as the Night Stalkers, has a reputation for employing some of the US Army's best aviators. 

The sight of these formidable aircraft manoeuvring through the British capital's skyline caught the eye of residents.

Greg Dow, a social media user on X, said: "I saw these lads out the window in a meeting yesterday. Very distracting," to which the RAF replied: "Hopefully it was a positive distraction!" with a helicopter emoji.

Another X user, Mohammed Abbasi, praised the aircraft, stating: "The CH-47F Chinook is a great sight."