Police officers and military personnel were stationed at St Athan airport as part of a military exercise and people across parts of south Wales heard loud bangs
10:06, 03 Apr 2026Updated 10:18, 03 Apr 2026
The exercise took place at RAF St Athan
Residents living near a Welsh airport reported hearing “loud bangs” which “shook” houses and military airplanes flying overhead late into the night. South Wales Police had previously said military personnel would be stationed at St Athan Airport in the Vale of Glamorgan on Thursday to carry out a pre-planned training exercise to respond to major incidents.
The exercise involved HM Forces and police at St Athan Airport and was planned to test contingency plans and the co-ordination of responses to major incidents. It comes as the UK terror threat remains at substantial, which means an attack is likely.
Responding to South Wales Police’s warning about the training exercise, some locals living near the airport said they were shocked to hear loud bands well into the night.
Another person commented that their children had loved seeing what they believed to be three Apache helicopters flying overhead. Always keep on top of the latest Welsh news with our newsletter
One person said that a loud explosion shortly before midnight “shook” their house in Rhoose, while another said they heard bangs in Pencoedtre, on the outskirts of Barry.
“It is not in response to any recent incident, intelligence, or threat. The threat from terrorism remains at substantial, which means an attack is likely.”
The former military airfield at St Athan was transferred to civilian control in 2019 and is now owned by the Welsh Government.
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