The Royal Air Force has issued a clarification after one of its cargo planes was observed flying above Oxford.

Homeowners in Botley and West Oxford noticed the aircraft overhead at roughly 2:15pm on Monday, March 23.

The aircraft was a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, a strategic heavy-lift plane engineered to swiftly move military personnel and combat supplies internationally.

Its trajectory originated from the main Oxfordshire facility at RAF Brize Norton, travelled past Lechlade, proceeded over Oxford, and returned to Brize Norton.

An RAF representative indicated the mission could have been standard operational flying or participation in Exercise Cobra Warrior, a nationwide exercise running from March 16 to March 27.

The exercise trains fast-jet crews for intense combat against a technologically-matched opponent. The current iteration is overseen by instructors at RAF Waddington, with assistance from personnel at RAF Boulmer, RAF Honington, RAF Leeming, and RAF Brize Norton to allow realistic coordination of large-scale operations throughout British airspace.

This follows incidents where Oxford residents were alarmed by fighter jets roaring over the city earlier in March.

Locals in Woodstock, Botley and Summertown all reported hearing the deafening sound at approximately midday on Wednesday, March 11.

The air force subsequently confirmed the overflight was part of Operation Agile Warrior, unveiled the previous week and intended to evaluate the British air force’s capacity to defend the country during a volatile international climate.