Two RAF jets broke the sound barrier over the West Country as they were scrambled from their base in the east of England today.
The Typhoons were taking part in a Quick Reaction Alert intercept exercise which saw them race from their base at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and speed across the Midlands, flying over Coventry and Worcester at close to the speed of sound.
The two jets then charted a course around Cardiff and headed for Devon, where they were tasked with intercepting another RAF plane, an Airbus refuelling jet.
The two Eurofighters reached the speed of sound across the Bristol Channel as they flew from South Wales to North Devon, sending a sonic boom into the atmosphere.
They reached speeds of 590 knots at an altitude of 40,000ft – Mach 1 is achieved at that height when exceeding speeds of around 573 knots.
The two planes then staged a training exercise with other RAF planes and others from the French Airforce over Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor and the Truro area of Cornwall.
The RAF has a squadron of Eurofighter Typhoons on standby at locations in England and Scotland, and regularly practices QRA intercepts – Quick Reaction Alerts – as well as being scrambled to intercept an increasing number of Russian military planes that approach UK airspace.
