With many military bases and airfields Norfolk's skies are a busy place, but what planes can be seen? And where are they from?

Here are some examples of aircraft which often fly over our county.

Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning

Eastern Daily Press: Thousands of people reported hearing a loud bang over Norwich. Was it a sonic boom from a jet plane?Thousands of people reported hearing a loud bang over Norwich. Was it a sonic boom from a jet plane? (Image: Archant)

West Norfolk residents may have seen one of these flying overhead.

RAF Marham is the home of the RAF's F-35 fleet, which became the first British squadron in a decade to operate jets from an aircraft carrier, when planes departed for HMS Queen Elizabeth in January 2020.

The American jet is known for its vertical landing ability, similar to a helicopter, and is the primary strike aircraft for British forces.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Eastern Daily Press: A sonic boom was heard across Herts and surrounding counties this afternoonA sonic boom was heard across Herts and surrounding counties this afternoon (Image: Nick Blacow)

The Eurofighter Typhoon is based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, however it can often be seen around west Norfolk.

This fighter plane is used and developed by the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, and was first used by the RAF and Italian Air Force in Libya in 2011.

Other planes from Coningsby include the US Air Force F-15 Eagle and American military versions of the Lightning.

Boeing Chinook

Also flying from RAF Holbeach are a series of helicopters, perhaps most distinctively the Chinook, with its double rotor blade.

The military transport helicopter has been used in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Other choppers from Holbeach include the AugustaWestland Apache AH1 attack helicopter and the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, which is half plane, half helicopter.

Grob 109 MotorGlider

Eastern Daily Press: Glider Taking Off with a Winch (c) Pawel Sedrowski, Flickr (CC BY 2.0)Glider Taking Off with a Winch (c) Pawel Sedrowski, Flickr (CC BY 2.0) (Image: Archant)

With many small airfields located across the county, gliders are a common sight.

They are most likely to be spotted in the air around Tibenham Airfield in south Norfolk, which is home to the Norfolk Gliding Club, which operates the Grob 109.

These engineless planes are frequently used for competitions in the county and are sometimes flown by pilots as young as 14.