Stealth fighters ‘dogfight’ in sky as residents left stunned

A large training exercise by the US Airforce stunned residents in parts of west Wales on Monday evening.

Multiple jets, believed to be F-35A stealth fighters, conducted high energy manoeuvres at low level, leading to hundreds of comments on social media.

Long term residents of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire said they hadn’t encountered such intense and noisy training at night-time before.

Several witnesses said the pilots appeared to be “dogfighting” at low altitude.

Major Hope R. Cronin, the Chief of Public Affairs at the US airbase at Lakenheath in Suffolk confirmed that jets from the 48th Fighter Wing were involved.

“Aircraft from RAF Lakenheath were conducting routine night flying training sorties in and around the airspace over Wales,” he said.

“Pilots are required to maintain certain proficiencies and flying in the hours of darkness is one such set of skills.”

The UK Ministry of Defence has a number of tactical training areas in Wales, including Low Flying Area 7, which includes the famous “Mach Loop”.

Video edited by Finbar Cahill