A rare US military plane has been seen flying over a Kent town.

The Boeing Osprey caused a stir after it flew low over Ashford yesterday.

Commonly referred to as a 'tilt-rotor' plane, the Osprey is one of only two types of aircraft that can take off vertically as well as horizontally.

Traditionally used by the US Marines and US Air Force, the remarkable machine was caught on camera flying over Singleton and Great Chart among a number of areas in the town.

Residents reported hearing the rotors "some time" before the aircraft soared overhead.

"It almost looked like a drone when it flew overhead, except of course the sheer speed and size of the thing," one Singleton resident added.

"Does it count as a helicopter or a plane? It's kind of both," another pondered on Facebook.

First constructed in 1988, and brought into active service in 2007, the Osprey is designed to combine the functions of a helicopter and a turboprop plane.

The rotors of the aircraft – of which only around 400 have been made – can rotate or tilt from horizontal to vertical, allowing it to manoeuvre in difficult conditions, and take-off and land vertically when required.

Only tilt-rotor and 'thrust vectoring' planes such as the Harrier jump jet or F-35 Lightning II are able to complete vertical take off and landing.

This is the most recent in a number of incidents where military aircraft have been seen flying over Ashford.

In August of last year, six F-15 fighter jets were seen performing a flypast over the town.

In October, the same type of jet was spotted flying over Sandwich.

Two years prior, a huge RAF Atlas A400M was spotted over a large swathe of the county, including Faversham, Ashford and Hawkinge.

The enormous aircraft – with a 42-metre wingspan and 45.1-metre length – flew low over the areas, resulting in spectacular photographs.