The simple explanation of "The Sound of Thunder." Was it really Thunder or something else?

Not only was it heard across those two towns, but it was also heard across Nottinghamshire and parts of Derbyshire. Many people afterwards took to social media after the sound had been heard and said "Thunder?!" But their was no storm. But could the answer be any more surprising.

The chances are that on March 14, 2023, residents across Eastwood and Kimberley will have heard something that “sounded somewhat strange”.

But, that strange sound was also heard across the majority of the county of Nottinghamshire along with a portion of Derbyshire as well. Residents also heard the strange sound which many were soon logging into social media and asking: “was that thunder?”

To the untrained ear, it might have sounded like thunder, only thunder has a much lower tone that lingers on and on, whereas this sound was something far faster. To make matters even more strange is no weather forecasters had mentioned the chance of thunderstorms across the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire area, which is more than likely why people seemed somewhat confused and perplexed on social media. But to the eagle-eyed out there who spotted the cause of the sound that had been heard were quick to point out what it actually was. It was not thunder, instead it was the sound of three Belgian Air Force F16 Aircraft, which, before they had come howling at speed over the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire region, had flown up to The Lake District, before heading south towards The Mach Loop in Snowdonia.

Both The Lake District and The Mach Loop are areas in which both the RAF and other air forces use for training purposes. However after the three Belgian F16s had passed through the Mach Loop they then had to transit back to their air base, where earlier that morning they had set off from.

However to get back from The Mach Loop to their Air Base, a transit of airspace from West to East had to happen, and that involved passing through some busy airspace, to the south Birmingham Airport and East Midlands Airport and to the North, Manchester Airport, with any traffic approaching them having to be at certain altitudes, much like different lanes on a motorway. However the three Belgian F16s were indeed transiting from West to East meaning that they themselves had to be at a lower altitude of roughly 1,100 feet up, which is low and safe for Military aircraft, and also means that any traffic heading north to Manchester Airport or south to East Midlands Airport can safely approach at their higher altitudes. But just where were these three Belgian F16s heading towards? West to East? Were they heading back to Belgium? The answer again is slightly more complex, they were actually returning to RAF Waddington, an RAF Air Base located south of Lincoln.

Again though questions were asked as to why three Belgian F16s had flown over in the first place, and the answer to that lies within something simple. The answer is “Exercise Cobra Warrior.” Which is a joint exercise, in which the RAF are working in conjunction with (The Royal Saudi Air Force, The Indian Air Force, The “Belgian Air Component” who are the Belgian Air Force, “The Ilmavoimat” who are The Finnish Air Force.) And of course the point of this exercise is to help train Air force pilots to fly fast aircraft and to simulate air to air combat. What is even more surprising is that two of the three Belgian F16s, well two of them had some interesting paintjobs on them and are also part of the NATO Flying Tigers, display team, who solely every year have various events in which NATO pilots fly their aircraft across Europe and sometimes The UK so members of the public can watch them.

Yet another question that also beckons is the following, “Is Exercise Cobra Warrior '' a rare event? And to some degree it is if you do not know about it, but it is an event that happens twice a year, not just at RAF Waddington either, with RAF Coningsby also being a location where the Aircraft operate out of, plus other RAF sites across the country are also used within Exercise Cobra Warrior as well. Whilst it is amazing to hear and see these aircraft, if anyone is interested in watching Exercise Cobra Warrior, they can do and the aptly named “WAVE” or Waddington Aircraft Viewing Enclosure, just a little further south of Lincoln, on the A15 towards Sleaford provides the ideal place to watch and view Aircraft with stunning views of the runway, airfield and glide approaches to the runway, which can provide an interesting perspective for Aircraft as they land. And whilst the Belgian F16s have already gone, the exercise itself is taking place until April the 6th 2023, and if you are wanting something unusual to do, then it is definitely worth visiting the WAVE at Waddington. Details of course about the Wave can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.waddingtonwave.co.uk/

So despite people thinking it was the sound of thunder, it really was not, it was the sound of three Belgian Air Force F16 fighter jets transiting the country at a rare and lower altitude. But the last time a rare low flight was witnessed in the Eastwood and Kimberley area was in 2022 when an AWAC from RAF Waddington had passed over Greasley Church. And again if anyone does want to see what kinds of Military aviation is flying over, then head over to ADSB Exchange, and when you see the live map, click on the “U” at the top and you will be able to see any military aircraft over the area or country that you live in.