UK

Olympic air exercise makes itself heard

The Ministry of Defence says a sonic boom heard by thousands of people across the north of England yesterday was caused by an RAF fighter.

The reports coincided with a major training exercise ahead of the Olympics, involving jets over Yorkshire.

Codenamed Exercise Taurus Mountain 1, the exercise took place between Tuesday and Thursday, with fast jet and helicopter pilots being put through their paces alongside one another.

Wing Commander Paul Godfrey, in charge of operations at RAF Coningsby, said: "We take great pride in the fact that we have a key role to play in providing airspace security for the Olympics, and these training flights are part of our training for that important task as we prepare to forward deploy to RAF Northolt later in the year.

“Typhoon is a very potent fighter aircraft – among the most modern and capable of any air force anywhere in the world. I know that the Typhoon Force – many of whom have recently returned for combat operations over Libya – will discharge their duties with great professionalism as part of Defence’s overall mission to provide a safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The range of aircraft involved in security include:

• 2 Typhoon jets from RAF Coningsby;
• 2 Puma helicopters from RAF Benson;
• 2 Lynx helicopters from RNAS Yeovilton;
• 1 Sea King SkASACD helicopters from RNAS Culdrose;
• 2 Grob Tutor aircraft from RAF Leeming;
• 1 Sentry E-3D from RAF Waddington.

Typhoon aircraft will be forward-based at London’s RAF Northolt, helicopters operating from HMS Ocean on the River Thames and appropriate Ground Based Air Defence systems across London.

Training carried out already this year includes a Royal Navy and Royal Marines exercise on the Thames, which also involved the Metropolitan Police Service’s Marine Policing Unit, the Port of London Authority and the UK Border Agency.

Meanwhile, the RAF has recently had Typhoon pilots operating in London airspace refining their procedures with the National Air Traffic Services.

PICTURE: Ministry of Defence