Military plane spotted in skies above Leeds

A huge military plane has been spotted in the skies above Leeds today.

The plane is believed to be an Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft.

cc Andrew Easbyplaceholder image
cc Andrew Easby | other

The aircraft is a European, four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft produced between 2007 and the present.

Users of the craft include the German Air Force, French Air Force, Spanish Air Force and Royal Air Force.

cc Andrew Easbyplaceholder image
cc Andrew Easby | other

There are only 87 of the aircraft in the world, with an eye watering price tag of over £150m.

The aircraft has a cruising speed of 781 km/h and range of 3,300 km.

Many Leeds residents took to social media after spotting the plane flying low above Leeds.

One user said: "It was so low I thought it was going to crash!"

Another added: "I saw it over Yeadon - awesome!"

It is common for military aircraft to take part in training around Yeadon and Leeds Bradford Airport, including refuelling exercises and 'touch and go' manoeuvres.

Related topics:
Celebrating 135 years of telling Leeds' stories
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice