A UNITED States Navy aircraft seemingly touched down in South Wales over the weekend.

According to multiple flight monitoring services, the US Navy operated Lockheed C-130 Hercules landed at Cardiff Airport shortly after 6pm on Sunday (August 22).

The aircraft, which can be used for cargo, troop transport, reconnaissance and mid-air refuelling among other uses, reportedly travelled high above Wales, before looping south over the Bristol Channel, touching down at Cardiff Airport.

Several hours earlier, the aircraft flew from Joint Base Andrews – a United States military facility in Maryland, to Goose Bay – a Canadian Forces Base.

Here, the aircraft refuelled, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean towards South Wales.

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At this time, it is not known why the aircraft travelled to Wales, how long it is expected to remain on the ground here, and where it might be travelling to next.

Previously, South Wales has had a significant amount of history when it comes to aviation – particularly when it comes to the military, with the Military of Defence site at St Athan previously known as RAF St Athan.

However, in April 2019, the airfield part of the site was transferred from military to civilian control.

The MOD retains a presence here in spite of this, with a barracks located near to the airfield.

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In recent days, a US military aircraft has been at the centre of the global news cycle, due to the worsening of the crisis in Afghanistan.

On August 16, a US Air Force C-17 landed at Kabul Airport to offload equipment to help with the evacuation efforts.

But, the airfield was breached by civilians looking to flee the country, and as the American aircraft looked to take off, it was swarmed by people looking for passage out of Afghanistan.

It has been reported that at least one person died after climbing into the plane’s landing gear, while footage taken from the ground appeared to show people falling from the aircraft after it had taken off.

The Argus has contacted Cardiff Airport and the United States Navy for further information.