RAF heavy transport aircraft JDW828 carried out training sortie over Pembrokeshire and the south-west

Residents in Haverfordwest reported a large military aircraft flying low over the town at around 11:00am on Monday (Jan 19).

Flight tracking information identified the aircraft as JDW828, a Royal Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, operating from RAF Brize Norton.

The recorded track showed the aircraft conducting a wide training circuit across the south-west, including repeated manoeuvres over parts of Pembrokeshire and Cornwall, before routing back east.

The C-17 is a heavy-lift transport used by the RAF to move troops, equipment and humanitarian aid, and is regularly seen on training flights across the UK.

One resident said: “It was a awesome sight, so low it was almost at the chimney tops – the house was shaking!”

“Brilliant!”

A request for comment has been sent to the Ministry of Defence.

(Images: Gavin Young/Herald)

NATO fighter jets were scrambled today after Russian military aircraft approached allied airspace, in the latest sign of rising tension on Europe’s northern flank.

According to defence sources, the aircraft were detected flying close to NATO-controlled airspace over the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea, prompting a rapid response from alliance air policing forces. Fighter jets were launched to identify and monitor the Russian planes, which did not file flight plans or communicate with civilian air traffic control.

The incident follows a familiar pattern seen repeatedly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow increasing long-range bomber and reconnaissance flights close to NATO territory. While the Russian aircraft did not enter sovereign airspace, officials said the response was a routine but necessary defensive measure.

NATO confirmed that the scramble was carried out to “ensure the integrity of allied airspace” and that the situation was closely monitored throughout.

Pembrokeshire link to wider security concerns

The latest aerial incident comes against the backdrop of earlier Russian surveillance activity much closer to home, including off the Pembrokeshire coast.

During the summer, a Russian intelligence-gathering vessel was tracked operating off south-west Wales, raising concerns about undersea infrastructure and maritime security. The ship, identified by defence analysts as the Yantar, is officially classed as an oceanographic research vessel but is widely regarded by NATO as a spy ship used to map seabeds and monitor communications cables.

At the time, Royal Navy and RAF assets were deployed to shadow the vessel as it loitered in international waters near Pembrokeshire, an area through which critical transatlantic data cables pass. Defence officials said the ship’s movements were consistent with intelligence-gathering activity rather than civilian research.

Local marine observers and coastal monitoring groups also reported unusual naval and aerial activity in the area during the period, highlighting how global security tensions were playing out on Wales’ doorstep.

Further sightings off Scotland

In recent weeks, the same Russian vessel has again been detected further north, operating off the coast of Scotland, where it was monitored by Royal Navy ships and RAF maritime patrol aircraft.

The Ministry of Defence has since confirmed that UK forces have increased surveillance around the British Isles in response to sustained Russian naval and air activity. Officials have warned that undersea cables, pipelines and offshore energy infrastructure are increasingly viewed as potential targets in modern hybrid warfare.

Today’s NATO jet scramble is understood to be part of this broader defensive posture, with alliance forces on heightened alert as Russian military movements continue near European airspace and waters.

While no immediate threat to the UK has been identified, defence sources have made clear that both air and maritime activity are being treated as connected elements of a wider pattern.

MORE than 100 military family homes in Wales have been refurbished in time for Christmas as part of a UK-wide drive to address the poorest conditions in forces housing.

The work forms part of a programme to overhaul the 1,000 worst service family homes across the UK, a target that has now been met ahead of schedule. The scheme has also been expanded, with a further 250 properties set to receive priority upgrades by the spring.

The programme, known as Raising the Minimum Standards, has delivered extensive improvements to service accommodation across the country, including properties in Wales.

The upgrades include replacement boilers and heating systems, new flooring, repairs to leaking roofs, and the installation of new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors. In many cases, homes have undergone comprehensive refurbishment to address long-standing maintenance issues.

The work represents the first phase of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Housing Strategy, which aims to modernise, refurbish or rebuild more than 40,000 service family homes over the next decade. The strategy is backed by £9bn of investment and follows a deal agreed last year to bring 36,000 military homes back into public ownership.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the improvements would allow more military families in Wales to enjoy Christmas in safe and decent accommodation.

“Our Armed Forces and their families sacrifice a great deal for the country,” he said. “The least they deserve are homes that are fit to live in. Completing upgrades to the worst properties means more families can spend Christmas together in decent conditions.

“This is only the beginning of a much larger programme to address decades of underinvestment in military housing.”

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said the improvements marked a positive start but acknowledged further work was needed.

“Military families in Wales deserve high-quality accommodation, and this is an important step towards improving homes that have been in need of modernisation,” she said.

David Brewer, chief operating officer of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said the work would continue beyond the initial phase.

“We have made improvements to the worst-performing homes, but this is just the start of a generational renewal,” he said. “Our aim is to see the vast majority of service family homes brought up to an acceptable standard.”

The refurbishment programme is one of several commitments made under the Consumer Charter launched earlier this year, which sets minimum standards for military housing. Other measures include improved move-in conditions, clearer maintenance standards, and the introduction of a named housing officer for every service family.

According to the MOD, early feedback from service personnel suggests satisfaction levels with military housing are beginning to improve, although wider upgrades remain ongoing.