An RAF base is warning equestrians in its area of an increase in large aircraft and fighter jets in the coming week.
RAF Wittering, on the Cambridgeshire/Northamptonshire border, has alerted horse owners and the wider community to expect more planes in the first week of June.
“In circumstances such as these, reaching out to our neighbours is the right thing to do,” said group captain Jo Lincoln, station commander at RAF Wittering and the A4 Force elements commander.
“The goodwill of our neighbouring communities is of the highest value to us, and we need that relationship to continue”.
She added: “Realistic training is essential, and I am certainly pleased that the Typhoon force has chosen to come here for a brief detachment.”
Transport aircraft and Typhoon jets will be flying from the base in daylight hours (8am-6pm) from Monday (31 May) to Friday (4 June).
Increased aircraft activity expected at @RAF_Wittering next week as Air Transport aircraft and Typhoon jets arrive. Reaching out to our neighbours and the nearby #equestrian community @burghleyhouse @EquineTraining @BritishHorse @RDAnational @StamfordTC https://t.co/u9L8fr0VbW pic.twitter.com/zJREOkAXR4
— RAF Wittering (@RAF_Wittering) May 24, 2021
The airfield will take on the role of an “underused airstrip in a foreign country” in the exercise, which involves logistics and engineering units that support RAF operations across the world, heavy freight and passenger aircraft plus Typhoon jets from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
This will be the first time since the 100th anniversary of the RAF in 2018 that fast jets have operated from Wittering.
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“Our airfield is a brilliant military asset and it’s only right that defence makes maximum use of it,” said wing commander Jez Case, who is the officer commanding Operations Wing.
“We have skilled and experienced team in Operations Wing who are well used to handling many different aircraft types, so I’m very optimistic about this exercise and hope we see more aircraft coming here in the future.”
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