Why huge military plane was flying low over reservoir this week
An RAF aircraft was spotted flying low over a reservoir earlier this week.
The military plane was seen by a member of the Bolton News' Camera Club over Anglezarke Reservoir near Chorley on Tuesday, March 11.
A RAF spokesperson said: "A single A400M Atlas from RAF Brize Norton, completed a routine currency sortie today around the Anglezarke area, which included a low level air drop.
"This type of training ensures our pilots continue to be ready for global operations."
The Atlas C.1 A400M model is capable over carrying a 37-tonne payload over 2,000nm, and was spotted a long way from its base in Oxfordshire.
According to the RAF, the Atlas is capable of operating at altitudes up to 40,000ft but also "impressive" low-level capability.
The aircraft is based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and flies with four different squadrons.
These are the 206 Test and Evaluation Squadron, the 30 Squadron, the LXX Squadron and the XXIV Squadron.
The Atlas C.1 A400M aircraft was spotted over Anglezarke (Image: Dylan Harrison)Have a story? Get in touch at eoin.mccaul@newsquest.co.uk
The Atlas is designed for carrying paratroopers and can hold as many as 116 fully-equipped troops.
The RAF uses a variety of training areas around the whole of the UK for training and vary their routes and training locations for maximum training benefit.
This allows pilots to train in varied environments to prepare for operations across the world.
READ MORE: Former RAF pilot dies 'having lavished 103 years of love into the world'
READ MORE: Minister condemns protesters who forced RAF out of university jobs fairs
READ MORE: United States Air Force statement after aircraft fly over Bury
The design of the Atlas was first proposed in February 1999 and accepted the following year.
The first model had its maiden flight on December 11, 2009.
The type is officially known as the Atlas but the term A400 is more commonly heard in use at its RAF Brize Norton base.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
World War Two veteran turns 100 on D-Day anniversary
An RAF veteran has said he would not change a thing about his life as he celebrated his 100th birthday on the anniversary of D-Day. Edward 'Ted' Carter from Caerphilly turned 19 on D-Day, 81 years ago on 6 June 1944. He was deployed in India at the time, a memory he described as "wonderful". Reflecting on becoming a centenarian, Mr Carter said he had had "a very, very happy life". "I think we should all live a peaceful, happy life, helping people as much as we can, give back as much as we can," he said. I partied outside Buckingham Palace on VE Day WW2 tank driver stopped on VE Day by flat battery 101-year-old WW2 codebreakers reunite for VE Day After leaving school at 16, Mr Carter joined the railway and said his father told him "you won't make much money". "I didn't want to work anywhere else," he said. He initially worked in the signal boxes, then "on the trains", When he was called up to serve in the war effort, he did not want to join the Army. "And I couldn't swim, so I thought the air force was best for me," he added. For four-and-a-half years, he served in the Royal Air Force as an engineer, working on Wellington and Lancaster bombers. "You had to learn in six months what in peace time would take you three years." Reflecting on the conflict, Mr Carter said: "I think, I hope, the world has got a better place. "All we want is a quiet, peaceful life." When he left the RAF, he joined what is now Great Western Railway. Returning to Wales in 1946, home became the cottage he shared with his late wife Margaret. They met as teenagers, and married aged 22 and 23. "I'm so glad I met Margaret when she was 15," he said. "We had 61 years of a lovely life together." With savings of £380, they spent £320 on their cottage in Bedwas and £11 on solicitors fees and went on to raise three children there – Paul, Sharon and Ann. In fact, the letter he recently received from the King, marking his big birthday, was actually his second correspondence from a monarch, having also had one for his 60th wedding anniversary from Elizabeth II. "[Our dad] taught us to be hard working, kind," said Sharon. Paul added: "He's been an exceptional human being. He's terrific." At 98, Mr Carter was still regularly seen tending to his beloved garden at the cottage, particularly its orchard with pear, apple and plum trees. "We grew everything," he recalled. He now lives at Castle View care home in Caerphilly, where staff and residents threw him a birthday party. "All my life I've had very good luck and health. What can you ask for more than that? "If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't change it." Wales' oldest person celebrates her 112th birthday Lost medals replaced for veteran, 100
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Battle of Britain pilot's grave identified 85 years later
The lost grave of a Battle of Britain hero has been identified 85 years after he was shot down over the English Channel. Flying Officer Philip Cox was killed when his Hurricane was attacked by German fighters in July 1940. RAF colleagues said they saw his aircraft plunge into the sea off Dover. Cox was listed as missing in action and his name was later added to the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey. Weeks after his death, an airman's body washed up on a beach in Holland and was recovered by the Germans. It was then buried in a cemetery at Bergen-op-Zoom under a headstone with the words 'Known unto God'. Earlier this year, a historian in Holland researching Second World War records kept by the occupying Germans found clues that pointed to the unmarked grave being that of Flying Officer Cox. The records for the grave plot gave a partial service number recovered from the body, which matched that of Cox. On Wednesday, a rededication ceremony took place at the gravesite, with a new Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone with his name placed. The service was conducted by Reverend Squadron Leader Jonathan Stewart and attended by relatives of Flying Officer Cox as well as the Dutch historian who made it happen. Andy Saunders, a Battle of Britain historian and author, said: 'The identification and marking of the grave site of Flying Officer Philip Cox highlights the fact that, 85 years after the Battle of Britain, a full one-third of the casualties of that battle remain officially unaccounted for.' Flying Officer Cox was born in Brighton in July 1915. During the Battle of Britain, he claimed a Me109 and shared in the destruction of another on July 20. On July 27, he led a squadron into a dog fight over Dover Harbour when he was shot down in Hurricane P3808. He was 25 years old. His mother, Winifred, a widow by this time, wrote a letter to the mother of a colleague of her son. She wrote: 'I have bad news. Philip lost his life last Saturday July 27th while leading the squadron into an engagement off the Southeast coast during the squadron leader's absence. 'The squadron had moved to Gravesend two days previously. Phil phoned me to meet him at Shoreham on Sunday the 21st – his birthday – after tea which I did and I took him back on Tuesday midday and saw him take off. '[His brother] Bob also turned up unexpectedly on Monday, so for the last time here we had the children all together. 'I had a very nice letter from his Squadron Leader this morning. I feel he is with my husband who was very devoted to him. Phil always enjoyed himself so much at your house. 'Thank you for being so nice to him.' Her other son, Robert, was killed four years later when the minesweeper he was on was sunk in the English Channel. During the Battle of Britain, 179 RAF airmen were lost at sea and not recovered. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Bug-eyed telescope ready to find Earth-smashing asteroids
It's only a matter of time before a catastrophically sized asteroid barrels towards Earth again. Until very recently in human history, there was no way of knowing if one was hurtling towards us, much less do anything to alter its path. Now, international space agencies and disaster preparedness experts have powerful tools to keep watch over the skies—and the newest aide just opened its bug-inspired compound 'eye.' According to the European Space Agency, the Flyeye-1 telescope recently completed its 'first light' test at the Italian Space Agency's Space Geodesy Center, located about 160 miles east of Naples. Soon, it and as many as three other similar installations around the world will work in tandem to provide comprehensive, automated surveys of space every night to scan for cosmic threats. 'The earlier we spot potentially hazardous asteroids, the more time we have to assess them and, if necessary, prepare a response,' explains Richard Moissl, Head of ESA's Planetary Defence Office. 'ESA's Flyeye telescopes will be an early-warning system, and their discoveries will be shared with the global planetary defence community.' Similar to an insect's vision (hence its name), Flyeye captures incoming light through its 3.3-foot-wide primary mirror. That light is divided into 16 independent channels, all equipped with their own secondary lens and detector cameras designed to flag extremely faint objects. Flyeye's automated observation schedule is designed to factor in variables such as lunar brightness along with other survey telescopes like NASA's ATLAS, the Zwicky Transient Facility, and the forthcoming Vera Rubin Telescope. So what happens if Flyeye spies a suspicious space rock out there in deep space? The plan is for experts at ESA's Near-Earth Object Coordination Center (NEOCC) to review and verify any potential concerns. If the situation warrants further investigation, the NEOCC will then forward their report to the Minor Planet Center, a global hub for asteroid data. Subsequent research will lead to international contingency planning, which could involve any number of solutions, such as smacking the asteroid off course with a targeted spacecraft launch. Before that can happen, Flyeye needed to demonstrate its up to the task. For its first light test, Flyeye focused on multiple known asteroids, including 2025 KQ. Astronomers discovered the space rock only two days earlier, offering direct proof that the telescope is already capable of rapid follow-up observations. 'These images of the sky above the ancient stone hills of Matera, Italy, are more than just a test—they are proof that Flyeye is ready to begin its mission,' ESA said in its announcement. Flyeye-1 is now on its way for installation on Monte Mulfara in Sicily. If all goes according to plan, the telescope's first sibling will be up and running sometime in 2028.
