Incredible footage of an SAS blue thunder helicopter training in the skies over a British town under the cover of darkness has been shared online.
The amazing video, captured in Bury, showed the impressive machine hovering while figures were seen abseiling down from the aircraft.
The exercise is known as 'fast-roping' and allows troops to land where a helicopter cannot.
Footage shared with the Manchester Evening News shows the choppers circling while most of the town slept.
According to witnesses, the helicopters were in operation for several hours on Tuesday evening (March 15).
According to Mark, the helicopters then circled back around to pick the same people up from the roof.
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The purpose behind the operation is currently unknown. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is not believed to have been involved.
The SAS previously carried out a similar training exercise at Manchester Central Fire Station, in Ancoats, in June 2019. Then, nearby residents in Ancoats described seeing two 'military-style' helicopters circling over the fire station.
At least four people then descend from one of the choppers onto the flat roof of the building. One resident said the helicopters came within 'spitting distance' of his balcony.
Another person described seeing 'two blue thunder' helicopters landing near Oldham Road and then taking off again.
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Last month a helicopter plunged into the sea just feet away from swimmers in heart-stopping footage released by police .
The chopper descends rapidly from the sky in the middle of the afternoon into the crystal-clear blue waters of Miami, Florida, which are packed with hundreds of swimmers and families playing in the sunshine.
The Miami Beach PD police team shared the video of the drama which took place on Miami's famous South Beach in Florida, US, on Saturday afternoon.
It shows the chopper hit the water sending a huge splash into the air but, amazingly, no-one is killed by the impact.
Local media reports that two people who were in the helicopter were taken to hospital.
They were said to be in a stable condition.
Police closed off a section of the beach while an investigation was carried out and the Federal Aviation Authority is set to launch its own investigation.
