It's design is meant to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft.
It can carry 24 troops at a speed of 360mph with around eight hours flying time - enough to travel comfortably around the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.
Bell Boeing Osprey aircraft at Shobdon airfield, Herefordshire. Picture: Donna Davies
It is not known which arm of the military is responsible for the Ospreys seen above Herefordshire, but both the US and UK military operate these state-of-the-art aircraft.
In 2017, broadcasters for the British Armed Forces, Forces.net, said the SAS, based at Credenhill near Hereford, was training to use Ospreys in the fight against terrorism.