A HUGE American bomber was seen circling over Herefordshire as it flew to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range jet-powered strategic bomber, was one of two to land at RAF Fairford in the early hours of Monday morning (September 5).

The bomber, with the call sign MYTH11, circled over a huge area, including Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, as it appeared to hold off from landing at the RAF base.

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It is believed that the landing was delayed due to bad weather, with thunder and lightning hitting much of southern England and the Midlands overnight.

Entering service in 1951, it is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds worth of weapons and can reach a maximum speed of 1,000kmh, or 621mph.

 

A B-52 Stratofortress, like this one pictured at Bournemouth air festival, was seen flying over Herefordshire overnight

A B-52 Stratofortress, like this one pictured at Bournemouth air festival, was seen flying over Herefordshire overnight

 

Planespotters took to Twitter to talk about the bombers overhead, with Jordan Weir in Quedgeley saying the US Air Force's plane flew right over him.

He said it sounded amazing and it was lit up like a Christmas tree.

He said it was holding waiting for the storm to pass, with a second B-52, MYTH12, doing the same.

The B-52 can perform strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air and maritime operations, while during Desert Storm, B-52s delivered 40 per cent of all the weapons dropped by coalition forces.

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It is also highly effective for ocean surveillance and can assist in anti-ship and mine-laying operations. In two hours, two B-52s can monitor 140,000 square miles of ocean surface.

Fellow Twitter user Motornix said: "Looks like MYTH11 spent some time over the Wye Valley whilst MYTH12 went over to the Cotswolds before both of them landed at RAF Fairford.

"Came from Israel if their routes are to be believed!"

 

A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, flying over an oil tanker in the Middle East on Sunday. Picture: Staff Sgt. Charles Fultz/U.S. Air Force via AP

A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, flying over an oil tanker in the Middle East on Sunday. Picture: Staff Sgt. Charles Fultz/U.S. Air Force via AP

 

The United States military said it flew a pair of nuclear-capable B-52 long-distance bombers over the Middle East in a show of force as tensions in the region remain high between Washington and Tehran.

The bombers took off from the Royal Air Force base at Fairford in England and flew over the eastern Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea on Sunday in training missions together with Kuwaiti and Saudi warplanes, before departing the region.

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Lt Gen Alexus Grynkewich, the top US air force officer in the Middle East, said in a statement: "Threats to the US and our partners will not go unanswered.

"Missions like this … showcase our ability to combine forces to deter and, if necessary, defeat our adversaries."

Although the US military's Central Command did not mention Iran in its statement, Washington has frequently dispatched B-52 bombers to the region as hostilities simmered between the US and Iran. The last such flyover was in June.