What the military jets heard circling loudly over Swansea were and where they are coming from

Loud jet planes could be heard in the air over Swansea at lunchtime on Tuesday 8 March.

Residents across the city and county stared skyward at the recurring sound of roaring jet engines.

according to a Flight tracker website It appears that at least one of the US Air Force aircraft took off from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, before flying directly south-west to Swansea.

It was first heard in the sky at around 1.45pm and was seen on the tracker completing a shallow loop shape over Swansea and taking it into the Bristol Channel and back again.

Most recently the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle was followed in a larger circle from Gower via Llanelli and Burry Port.

The F-15 is said to be a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft with a top speed of 3,018 km/h and a range of 4,815 km.

RAF Lakenheath has been contacted for comment.

But the Ministry of Defense said RAF Typhoons were also operating in Welsh skies today; the USAFE F-15s leaving RAF Lakenheath and the Typhoons from RAF Coningsby.

A spokesman said: “Typhoon fighters from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, completed a variety of routine air-to-air and air-to-ground exercises in Wales and south-west England today.

“The RAF, and in this case Typhoon pilots, use a variety of training sites across the UK for training and vary their routes and training locations to maximize training benefit. Recently our aircraft have been training in much of Scotland, Wales, North East England, the North Sea, Norfolk, the North West, Liverpool, the South Coast and the Isle of Wight.

“The use of such training areas allows RAF pilots to train in different environments in preparation for operations around the world, such as those taking place in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

“The RAF’s Typhoon Forces remain on high readiness to be deployed in support of operations worldwide – an example being the recent deployment of additional aircraft to Cyprus to patrol NATO/Romanian airspace following the Russian aggression in Ukraine. ”

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