Flight radars show the jet turning back towards RAF Coningsby shortly after take off from the Lincoln base at around 3.30pm. It emitted an emergency code 7700, which usually means an engineering issue with the aircraft.
A spokesperson for RAF Coningsby told Express.co.uk that the issue had been reported as “fumes in the cockpit” and the aircraft landed safely on return.
Squawks are emergency messages pilots can dial into transponders, which alert those on the ground to issues with the plane.
They are said to be a fairly common occurrence, and the spokesperson played down the nature of the emergency.
They said that such occurrences were “not completely unusual”.
More to follow…
