A NOISY Air Force transport plane could be heard in the skies over Worcestershire last night.

Sharp-eared residents will have heard the Airbus A400M "Atlas" plane in the skies at around 10pm.

The aircraft was a Royal Air Force registered plane with the registration ZM419, and flew a large circuit up and over the county, circling Ledbury, Malvern, Worcester.

The Airbus then went on to Birmingham and towards the north before returning to RAF Brize Norton.

The path of the aircraft could be seen via FlightRadar24.

Ledbury Reporter: PATH: The A400M's flightpath over WorcesterPATH: The A400M's flightpath over Worcester

In service with air forces including Britain, Germany, Spain and France, the Atlas was designed to replace older transport planes like the C-130 Hercules.

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It is able to carry loads greater than that of the Hercules and is able to land on rougher landing strips.

The A400M is large enough to carry six Land Rovers and trailers, or two light armored vehicles, or a dump truck and excavator, or a Patriot missile system, or a Puma or Cougar helicopter, or a truck and 25-ton trailer.

The RAF currently operates around 20 Atlas aircraft, with plans to order more in the late 2020s.