An Omani Air Force military aircraft circled over Norfolk, England, for several hours on Wednesday. According to the British news site “North Norfolk News“It was one Lockheed C-130J-30 Hercules – a transport aircraft designed specifically for military operations. The plane took off from Cambridge Airport at around 2pm and arrived in Norfolk around 20 minutes later. This is what flight data from the platform shows Flightradar24.

It then circled several times over an area near RAF Marham air base before flying towards Norwich. There too she continued to draw her loops, which reached as far as Hickling Broad. Two hours after the start of the flight, the aircraft was still flying over the region.

This is the transport plane that circled over England

The Lockheed C-130J Hercules is an American four-engine transport aircraft. It was designed for take-offs and landings on unprepared runways and is particularly robust. They are known to cope with difficult conditions such as desert landscapes. Oman owns three of these machines.

Cooperation with the British Air Force

Oman’s air force works closely with the British Royal Air Force. They conduct a joint training in Oman every year called “Exercise Magic Carpet”. This includes, among other things, missions against ground targets and aerial refueling maneuvers. In 2023, the exercise included a number of such operations.

Similar incident in 2024

As early as December 2024, an Omani Air Force aircraft caused a stir over Norfolk. Loud “Eastern Daily Press“It was also a Lockheed C-130J Hercules. The plane took off from Cambridge City Airport at 11 a.m. on December 6th and circled over the Norfolk Broads for several hours before landing back in Cambridge around 2 p.m. At the time, observers suspected that the plane was undergoing a test flight after eight months of maintenance in Cambridge.

The reasons for the flights remain unclear

It is not known why the plane circled over Norfolk again. These could be routine flights or test flights, as was already suspected in 2024. Cambridge Airport, where the plane took off from, has not commented.

Oman targeted by Iranian attacks

Through the War in Iran The country in the Middle East is currently under particular pressure: On Wednesday, drones of suspected Iranian origin were said to have attacked fuel tanks in the port of Salalah, an important facility in the south of Oman. have attacked. A similar attack on a fuel tank in the port of Duqm was reported at the beginning of March.

According to a security source, several drones were intercepted while others reached their target and damaged fuel tanks. Despite the attacks, merchant ships remained unharmed and no casualties were reported. However, operations at Salalah Port were temporarily suspended.