Red Arrows jet creates sonic boom during Norfolk test dive

25 October 2022

News image — The sonic boom was caused by an RAF Hawk during a high-speed dive

Getty Images Rolls-Royce Adour powered Red Arrows Hawk T1 flying at RAF Fairford July 2005 — The sonic boom was caused by an RAF Hawk during a high-speed dive

A Red Arrows jet inadvertently created a sonic boom during a high-speed dive, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said.

People in Norfolk reported a noise, described by one resident as a "loud explosion", at about 13:10 BST.

The MOD said it was caused by a Red Arrow, call signed as Vulcan 81, which was conducting an aerodynamic air test.

Records from Flightradar24 showed the RAF Hawk flew from Lincolnshire before looping around Norwich and passing near King's Lynn.

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"The sonic boom heard in East Anglia was inadvertently caused by a RAF Hawk aircraft completing a high-speed dive as part of an air test schedule," said an MOD spokesperson, who added that the jet was being tested following maintenance work.

"Any inconvenience caused to local residents is regretted."

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A sonic boom is the noise of shockwaves created when the speed of sound is broken, which is typically about 700mph (1,127kmph).