Mystery loud noise over Donegal night-sky confirmed as pair of US Air Force planes

Residents in North Inishowen were startled late on Tuesday night after two giant US military planes roared overhead on a night-time flight mission.

A pair of Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker US Air Force aircraft passed over the area shortly after 11.10pm on Tuesday, February 24, with many people reporting an unusually loud and prolonged ‘whoosh’ noise that disturbed the otherwise quiet night.

Residents across Malin, Moville and Greencastle reported how the sound coming from the sky was louder than anything they had ever experienced before, with many going outside their homes to see what was happening.

Flight-tracking information indicated that the planes belonged to the US Air Force and had departed from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk earlier in the evening.

After crossing the North Coast, the tankers continued out over the Atlantic Ocean, where they appeared to carry out an aerial refuelling operation before turning around and flying back to Mildenhall, a major hub for US military air operations in Europe.

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The infamously loud KC-135 Stratotanker is designed to extend the range and endurance of other aircraft by refuelling them mid-air, allowing missions to continue over long distances.

The high-altitude aircraft could not be seen below the clouds over Donegal, and there has been no official statement to explain the specific purpose of the mission, although aerial refuelling flights are a routine part of US military operations here.

The latest sonic incursion over Inishowen comes just six weeks after locals reported US military planes, including Boeing KC-46 Pegasus and jets, flying in formation over the peninsula on January 9.