US Air Force jet 'disappears' over the English Channel

US Air Force plane disappears over English Channel

A plane from the US Air Force disappeared from radar over the English Channel for an hour in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker declared an emergency 15 minutes into its flight from Amiens, France, at 12.20am.

Its last known sighting was between Dover and Calais before it landed an hour later back at its base at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, reports the Independent.

The Boeing plane is used to refuel jets mid-flight and can carry up to 31,000 gallons of fuel.

According to the Metro, RAF Mildenhall said: "KC-135 Stratotanker with call sign QUID 72 experienced an in-flight emergency at approximately 12.20 am today (Wednesday). It safely returned to RAF Mildenhall at 1.20 am. There were no injuries.

"Safety is paramount to the success of our mission. The Air Force's stringent safety standards help ensure the well-being of our people and the communities we interact with."

The Express reports that neither the RAF or USAF was prepared to comment further on the details of the incident.

The Daily Mail reports that the US Air Force has been using Boeing KC-135R aircraft since the 1950s.

It adds that in 2013 three US airmen were killed when their military refuelling tanker crashed in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan.