One of the most lethal warplanes ever built has landed in the UK as tensions with Russia mount over its war in Ukraine.
The US B-52 bombers - known as the Big Ugly Fat Fellow - boast a deadly arsenal of the latest high-tech nuclear and conventional weapons.
Dating back to the Cold War, the terrifying machines have been regularly updated to spearhead America's military deterrent and act as a standard bearer for the nation's air power.
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Photos emerged of the massive aircraft landing at RAF Fairford air base in the Midlands - a stark reminder of how the Russia-Ukraine War is impacting UK military bases.
Fully loaded and poised for action, the heavy US bombers are lined up at the RAF base in Gloucestershire to support NATO efforts across Europe and ratchet up the pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The four American planes were snapped on Sunday. They are B-52H Stratofortress long-range bombers that can fly at high subsonic speeds and carry nuclear or precision-guided conventional ordnance.
Hobby flyer Damien Dyer was piloting his small plane – a Wag-Aero CUBy – nearby when he managed to snap the aircraft, as highlighted by Gloucestershire Live. Damien was cleared to fly near the airbase after taking off from Northamptonshire’s Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield despite heavy use by the military.
Damien said: “It’s fine to fly nearby as long as you are talking to them, as I was. The zone around Fairford is only active when they (the B-52s) are active so was easy to get permission.”
At least two of the B-52H Stratofortress, which can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet, were dispatched to fly over Romania during yesterday afternoon(Monday, March 7 ). That was according to Flight Radar tracking showing military plane movements.
The subsonic, jet-powered strategic warplanes are among a host of military transport that has been using Midland airbases over recent weeks.
