A massive Airbus KC2 Voyager has been seen in the skies over Gloucestershire today, flying from RAF Brize Norton.

The incredible aircraft, with a wingspan of 60metres and a top speed of 880km/h, flew over the county early today.

It took off from the RAF base before heading just north of Cirencester, and over the A40 between Gloucester and Cheltenham, before passing Tewkesbury.

The Coronavirus crisis has grounded many civilian planes but several military aircraft have been spotted in the skies over Gloucestershire in recent weeks.

What does the Voyager do?

The RAF explains there are three main roles for the Voyager, which is its sole air-to-air refuelling (AAR) tanker and also operates as a strategic air transport.

Firstly that of a refueller. It has the capacity to travel with over 111 tonnes of fuel, which is good for the highest capacity tanker in the world. An awe-inspiring 50,000 kg of fuel can be off-loaded to a broad range of receivers during a four-hour loitering mission at over 1,000 nm from its take-off point.

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The next role the Voyager undertakes is that of a transport aircraft . With a maximum payload of up to 45 tonnes, up to 300 passengers, a specialised MedEvac layout with up to 40 stretchers, 20 seats for medical staff and 100 passengers and up to 37 tonnes of cargo in the lower deck. This is finished off nicely with the ability to be converted to a VIP jet to be utilised by the likes of the UK Prime Minister.

Thirdly: There's the ability to support operational deployments. The Voyager can fly with 50 personnel and 12 tonnes of freight in one direct flight over 5,200 km, while fuelling up to four fighter aircraft such as the BAE Systems Typhoon or the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning.”

The RAF added it is: "very much a jack-of-all trades, and a linchpin in the RAF's air-mobility fleet.

"She brings troops home to their families from deployment, she takes aircraft, jets or its 'chicks' to where they need to operate and it does it all flawlessly."