The U.S. Air Force issued a public apology after one of its F-35A fighters accidentally created a sonic boom during a training mission over eastern England last week.
BBC News reported that, according to the USAF, the incident occurred when an F-35A assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing departed RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk and briefly exceeded the speed of sound during what officials described as a “corrective maneuver” in routine training. Residents in Norfolk, Suffolk and surrounding areas reported hearing loud explosive-like bangs that rattled homes and sparked concern on social media.
“We apologize for any disturbance this may have caused residents,” a USAF spokesperson said, adding that the pilot reached supersonic speed “inadvertently” while conducting essential readiness training.
The British Ministry of Defence initially said no Royal Air Force quick reaction alert aircraft had launched in the area, leading to confusion about the source of the noise before the USAF confirmed one of its jets was responsible.
So what, it may have rattled a few tea cups and biscuit baskets but the sound of freedom may be a bit noisy at times. My home is near an active MOA where Boeing routinely conducts delivery acceptance and compliance flight checks. Mach 1 and above is nothing to get your knickers in a twist about.
So what? A sonic boom is not just the roar of engines of Boeing’s subsonic testing. It can cause serious damage to structures on the ground. When a Lakenheath-based F-111F inadvertently broke the sound barrier while conducting a training mission on the RAF’s Benbecula RBS range in Scotland in 1985, it knocked a prefab building off its mounts. The Queen was NOT amused. Neither were the RAF personnel in the building. It was fortunate for the USAF that no civilian structures or persons were involved.
Gone are the days when the Brits appreciated our presence in the UK due to the threat from Eastern Europe. Although I recognize the difference on how the UK people feel about the US military presence and that of the UK government. But I say bring them home.
Nonsense
The presence of US troops in Europe is still welcomed by the overwhelming majority of the population. This article is a storm in a teacup. The original BBC post was far less sensationalist and can be read here: USAF apologises for sonic boom over Norfolk and Cambridgeshire - BBC News.
As stated “Supersonic flight over land is rare and only authorised in exceptional circumstances.” hence some people mistook it for an explosion.
BBC’s article says it was an F-15.
Do we know which it was?