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In pictures: Huge military transport plane circles Chester

The military transport plane was seen flying low circling the Chester area

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A giant aircraft has been seen circling Chester and North Wales this morning (May 24).

The RAF Airbus A400M military transporter was flying low and slow over the area as it visited the skies around Hawarden Airport.

Airbus says none of the aircraft components are made at its Broughton plant although the wings are made at its Bristol factory.

Some speculated that the huge plane was struggling to land in today's winds - but others have suggested it's taking part in a 'touch and go' training exercise.

The military transport plane is a multi-national four-engine turboprop aircraft designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities to replace older transport aircraft, such as the Transall C-160 and the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules.

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The A400M can perform mission roles other than transportation, including electronic surveillance and aerial refuelling.

Launched in 2003, it was designed to respond to the combined needs of seven European Nations regrouped within OCCAR (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxemburg, Spain, Turkey and the UK), with Malaysia joining in 2005. This is one of the major reasons for its extreme versatility.

Its maiden flight took place on December 11, 2009.

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But there was tragedy when on May 9, 2015, an A400M crashed in Seville, Spain, on its first production test flight killing four of six Airbus employees aboard.

See the pictures from today's visit below.

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