Tri-Service

US Bombers And Spy Planes At RAF Base

The Cotswolds have been treated to an aerial display of U.S. military might as RAF Fairford plays host to some of the deadliest and most secretive aircraft in the world.

A pair of B-52 bombers will be flying in and out of the base until the 20th of June but B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and U-2 "Dragon Lady" spy planes have also been spotted.

The B-52's from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota are currently flying in support of Exercises BALTOPS 15 and Saber Strike 15.

B-52 flies with Swedish SAAB Gripins during BALTOPS 2015

The missions ensuring both the bomber crews and maintenance staff at Fairford maintain a high state of readiness and are able to provide a global strike capacity.

The B-2 stealth bombers flew in on 'global reach' round-trip flights from Missouri - the brief layover consisting of engine-running crew changes and hot-pit refuels before the imposing aircraft once more soared over the Cotswold countryside.

A U-2 Dragon Lady On The Runway At RAF Fairford

As for what the U-2 reconnaissance planes were doing there, it's understood they were returning from southwest Asia. It's not unusual for "Dragon Ladies" to 'quietly' drop in on the UK, their space-suited pilots deliberately stalling the aircraft two feet above the ground to avoid damaging the finely balanced planes. (Watch: Raw Footage of landing at the bottom of the page)

In 1995 a U-2R crashed on take-off at Fairford, it's pilot ejecting but later dying from injuries sustained in the accident.

RAF Fairford, know most famous for hosting the Royal International Air Tattoo every July, is the US Air Force's only European airfield currently capable of hosting big bombers.

It's massive runway can support the heaviest aircraft in the world and for a time was a designated TransOceanic Abort landing site for NASA's space shuttle.

Two B-2 Spirits are prepared for refueling at Royal Air Force Fairford

For the last five years Fairford has been manned on a 'care and maintenance' or 'warm' basis by the US military. Effectively mothballed should it be needed the base can however be reactivated to full status within just 48 hours.

Rumours that it was to reactivated this year were officially quashed by a spokesman who said "There are no aircraft permanently stationed at RAF Fairford, and the main mission of the base is to be ready to recive a deployment of aircraft and personnel.. both for real-world scenarios and for training exercises."