Huge RAF Airbus A400M Atlas flies low over Kent in ‘stunning spectacle’
Published: 15:41, 22 January 2024
Incredible pictures have been captured of a huge RAF transport aircraft flying just above the treetops in Kent.
The massive Airbus A400M was spotted in the sky over Folkestone earlier today.
Known as the Atlas, it can reach altitudes up to 40,000ft.
But according to Nigel Scutt, who took pictures of the aircraft, it was flying at just 625ft as it passed over the county.
He said: “You don't get to see one of these every day!”
Mr Scutt said it made “a stunning spectacle” as it flew over his office in Folkestone.
The Atlas, based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, is 147ft long, with a 139ft wingspan.
It can fly at incredibly low levels while accommodating as many as 116 fully-equipped troops.
It is also able to carry vehicles, aircraft pallets and helicopters, including a Chinook, up to a payload of 37 tonnes.
As well as being used by the RAF, it is also used by the German Air Force, French Air and Space Force and the Spanish Air and Space Force.
A flight map shared by Mr Scutt shows the Atlas flew over the Weald towards Maidstone, before heading down to Folkestone and then across to Thanet, before returning to Brize Norton.
He said it was “suprisingly quiet for such a large aircraft”.
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Chantal Weller