Three military helicopters have touched down at RAF Lossiemouth for three weeks of intensive exercises.
The Chinooks have travelled north from Hampshire to take part in the series of drills.
They will practise evading enemies as well as performing deck landings on Navy vessels and flying between mountains.
Personnel on the aircraft will be taking part in Exercise Griffin Strike as well as Exercise Joint Warrior, which begins on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Queen Elizabeth-class HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier has arrived in the Moray Firth as part of the operations.
Thousands of military troops will be taking part in Joint Warrior, which is held twice a year in spring and autumn.
Flying operations will be centered on RAF Lossiemouth, with forces from the US and across Europe due to join British personnel.
The live-firing range at Cape Wrath will also be used, with the Clyde designated as the gathering point for many of the ships involved.
Military forces from across the world regularly take part in the Joint Warrior exercise, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, in order to create complex environments to reflect current political tensions, including terrorist threats.
The drills are also designed to share information between detachments to help them work together more closely.
