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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
Emma Elgee & Beth Cruse

USAF F-15 fighters jets fly over West Country as Ukraine crisis intensifies

Two US Air Force F-15 fighter jets have flown over the West Country, near Bristol, this morning (Friday, March 4).

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle plane is an American twin-engine aircraft often used in active battle situations, which can reach speeds up to 1,875 mph. Two of the top-class planes have been spotted over Somerset and Wiltshire this morning.

One of the fighter jets has been circling the Salisbury Plain training area, and is currently flying over Cambridge as of 1.30pm.

Also read: Human remains found near M5 junction

It is one of many US Air Force and RAF planes spotted flying over the West Country in recent days. There have been B-52's, CV-22 Osprey's, Airbus Tankers flying out of airbases in the region. Some of the planes have been helping to refuel Typhoon jets defending NATO airspace from Russia.

The flight paths of several large planes, including multiple Airbus A-330-200 - aerial refuelling tanker aircrafts - have been mapped by aviation website FlightRadar24.

It shows that one refueling plane, call sign RRR9915, left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 3am on Friday morning (March 4) and is now over Poland.

The Airbuses have been helping to refuel RAF Typhoon jets which have been on a NATO mission to defend airspace from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

Yesterday (March 3), another Airbus was tracked - it entered the airspace above Keynsham and Saltford and flew over Somerset before entering Devon and Cornwall. The flight, call sign TARTN49, turned around near the Newquay coastline before circling back.

It came after an Airbus Beluga aircraft made an emergency landing in Birmingham. Images shared online show the unique aircraft surrounded by emergency vehicles.

The nature of the emergency is currently unknown, but it was understood to be en-route to Hawarden Airport, near Chester, from Madrid. It landed in Birmingham at around 1.20pm.

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READ MORE: BAE's military planes seen flying over Bristol area as war in Ukraine rages

READ MORE: American B-52 bombers fly over Bristol amid crisis in Ukraine

READ MORE: Airbus Beluga jet makes emergency landing and greeted by fire service response

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