By Katie Horsfall From The Herald UK

An RAF Puma helicopter under lights and an A400M Atlas cruising over Belgium are among the stunning images captured by photographers in the armed forces during 2017.

The Ministry of Defence’s ‘Best of Defence Imagery’ gallery contains 85 of the very best snaps over the past year.

The Atlas A400M transport is based at RAF Brize Norton in West Oxfordshire, while both Puma helicopters are based at RAF Benson in the south of the county.

The gallery captured some of the extraordinary moments witnessed by service personnel in 2017, including training allies and helping civilians in devastated Caribbean islands.

Soldiers in 33 Squadron from RAF Benson were deployed to aid humanitarian efforts in September as Hurricane Irma ripped through the Caribbean islands.

The violent storm affected thousands, including British nationals and devastated overseas territories including the British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos.

The category five hurricane killed 35 people when it barrelled through the Caribbean and continued its destruction in Florida, taking another six lives.

The team from RAF Benson was flown over along with three Puma helicopters to the British Virgin Islands.

The gallery also captured the Atlas A400M taking part in a flypast over Brussels.

Many of those who captured the photographs are service personnel first and photographers second, deploying their rifle as well as their camera to give the public a unique, candid view of the realities of military life.

For more on this story go to: http://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/15807891.PICTURES__Stunning_images_captured_by_aircrew_at_RAF_bases_in_Oxfordshire/