The US Navy has yet to comment on the reason behind their planes landing at Cardiff Airport for the second time in a matter of weeks – as the aircraft have both since departed.

Earlier this week, two US Navy Lockheed C-130 Hercules planes landed in the Welsh capital, having flown in north from Europe.

Both aircraft, which were travelling with the callsigns of RAIDR51 and RAIDR52 respectively, came in to land at Cardiff Airport, mid-afternoon on Monday (September 13).

The Argus asked the US Navy whether these flights were related to the ongoing military exercises currently taking place in Scotland.

At this time, the communications branch of the United States military is remaining tight lipped.

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Closer to home, a spokeswoman for Cardiff Airport was able to confirm that they had been told that the two planes touched down as a result of training exercises.

However, they were unable to provide any further information.

On Wednesday, both planes departed Cardiff, with social media users capturing the moment that one of the aircraft took off from Welsh soil.

Both planes flew across the Atlantic, before landing at St John’s International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, some seven-and-a-half hours later.

It is believed that this was an overnight stopover, with the aircraft departing the following morning.

They were last seen flying into the United States.

According to flight tracking data, the planes were last seen in their homeland on September 10, when they departed from San Diego, California.

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What do we know about their visit to Wales?

On Monday, the two aircraft landed at Cardiff Airport, having flown in under the RAIDR51 and RAIDR52 callsigns.

The first of the two, which departed from Chania International Airport in Crete, Grecce, touched down in the Welsh capital at around 4.30pm.

Minutes later, the second aircraft followed.

It is believed that this too came in from Crete, though flight radar only began tracking this aircraft from a beacon in Pomezia – a district of Rome, Italy.

Last month, another US Navy Lockheed C-130 Hercules came in to land in the Welsh capital as part of a training exercise.

This operation saw the aircraft land in Wales having left the USA, before carrying on to Chania International Airport.

It would then return to Cardiff on the return leg of its trip.