Boom in damages payouts as RAF jets smash the sound barrier
MoD hands over nearly £10,000 to settle claims ranging from crashed cars to cracked fish tanks after supersonic soundwaves
1 April 2021 • 8:40pm
Rainbow vapour around a Typhoon flying over RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. Sonic booms caused by the jets have led to the MoD paying out thousands of pounds in compensation
The owner of a fish tank that cracked during a sonic boom caused by RAF jets is among those to have received a payout from the Ministry of Defence.
Military aircraft scrambled for defence missions are authorised to fly above 750mph over the British mainland. This causes pressured air to suddenly escape and ripple, creating a thunderclap known as a “sonic boom”.
| UPDATED: 16:43, Tue, Jan 12, 2021
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The sonic boom came as an aircraft travelling from Germany was diverted to Stansted Airport by the RAF after it lost communication with air traffic controllers. Taking off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, the Typhoon jets scrambled to intercept the private plane in just minutes. But their efficiency sparked concerns, with numerous reports posted on social media of a “loud bang” in London, Cambridge, and other areas in the South East.