Residents in Wales were startled by low-flying US fighter jets during nighttime training exercises
Carmarthenshire: People in west Wales were left staring at the sky when US fighter jets zoomed overhead late at night. The noise from these low-flying aircraft shocked many in the area.
Now, hearing fast planes isn’t unusual in west Wales, but the number of jets and their altitude on Monday night caught folks off guard. The Ministry of Defence confirmed these jets were from the US military, not theirs, and were just doing some “routine night flying training.” They were F35-A fighter jets based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
Even though Lakenheath is an RAF base, it’s currently home to US Air Force jets and personnel. Many were surprised by the activity that night. One woman shared on social media that she had “never seen that many (jets) in the evening.” Another person mentioned how loud the jets were in Carmarthen, while someone else saw four jets flying in a figure of eight, saying the noise was “immense.”
One guy remarked, “The number of aircraft tonight and their complex maneuvers were quite alarming, especially in the dark.” Another Facebook user said, “So many fighter planes tonight, never seen anything like it, nearly deaf.” The BBC’s Aled Scourfield even joked on X about the noisy training, likening it to Top Gun practicing their dogfighting skills!
Some locals raised concerns about the training drill and its impact on residents and wildlife. Mid and West Wales MS Cefin Campbell noted, “The volume and duration of the noise was far beyond what we normally experience.” He added that people reported hearing loud aircraft multiple times over a 15–20-minute stretch, causing significant disturbance.
He emphasized, “This wasn’t just an isolated incident. The disturbance stretched across a broad area, far beyond the normal flight paths we’re used to. We need to understand why this happened and ensure residents are informed in advance if similar events are planned.”
Seeing US fighter jets in Welsh skies isn’t rare, as they often use the ‘Mach Loop’ near Machynlleth in Powys for low-level training, flying as low as 250 feet. You can find out more about that elsewhere.
The US Embassy has been asked for details about Monday night’s operation, including how many jets were involved and if similar training will happen again soon.
