US military jets missing

The aircraft were on a training exercise

Two American military jets are feared crashed after they disappeared over the central Highlands of Scotland.

The F15 fighter bombers from the US Air Force base at Lakenheath in England were on a low flying training exercise when contact was lost.

Officially the aircraft have been reported as "overdue" but, with just three hours' worth of fuel on board, the outlook for the two crew was looking increasingly bleak.

It was understood the single-seater jets may have gone down in the Cairngorms.

Michael Mulford: "Something of a mystery"

Contact was lost while they were on a low flying training exercise in the Ben Macdui/Glen More Lodge area of the Cairngorms.

The Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination centre at RAF Kinloss has been in charge of the search operation.

It said two Nimrod aircraft, three Sea King helicopters, two RAF mountain rescue teams and the Braemar Mountain Rescue Team have been involved.

But weather conditions are poor, with bad visibility, a covering of snow, and frequent blizzards.

Communications search

A US Defense Department spokesman said a communications search was also being conducted, and the two planes would not be listed as missing until it had been completed.

It involves searching for radio signals from the two planes in areas beyond where they had been due to fly.

RAF spokesman Michael Mulford said the F15s left Lakenheath, Suffolk, at about 1230BST for a three-hour sortie in the Scottish Highlands.

They made a routine air traffic transmission between RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth at 1315BST.

Mr Mulford said: "It is something of a mystery. The planes are well equipped safety-wise with low level ejector seats, safety beacons and beacons for the crew themselves.

'Training operations'

"This will only be answered if and when we find these aircraft and these aircrew."

There has been one report of an explosion being heard in the Glen More Lodge area.

Eyewitness Fred Lawson, who was in the area with his wife, said: "We were driving along the Linn of Dee towards Braemar and this jet came straight at us.

"I said to my wife Susan, 'this is extraordinary, it looks totally out of control', whereupon it veered way up into the sky, turned left, and went north towards Ben Macdui into a heavy snow storm.

"A second one came following it looking as if it was under control and I just said 'that's amazing'."

Mr Lawson said the planes were flying "extremely low", at a height of about 200m.

He said visibility was good when he saw the planes, but they headed towards heavy snow and blizzards.