Stunned plane spotters watched on as a state-of-the-art American military aircraft touched down at a UK base.
Packed with the latest cutting edge hardware, the "Dragon Lady" U-2 spy landed at RAF Fairford as 30,000 NATO troops launched war games.
It comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West over Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
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Northants Live reports how the top secret aircraft is an icon of the Cold War - launching high altitude snooping missions over the Soviet Union.
The plane was thrust into the public consciousness in 1960 when pilot Francis Gary Powers' U-2 was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission.
Fitted with a range of high-tech specifications, the modern-day U-2 is one of the most stealthy planes in the air.
It can fly at an altitude of 70,000 feet, capturing imagery and intercepting signals intelligence, and is said by pilots to be one the hardest aircraft to fly.
Due to the high altitude it can fly, pilots must wear compression suits, and when landing, rely on a fellow pilot on the ground to guide them as they land on one wheel. Tens of thousands of troops from Europe and North America are now training in arctic conditions in Norway under “Operation Cold Response.”
The exercise is defensive and long-planned, and it demonstrates NATO’s ability to respond decisively to any threat, from any direction. Around 30,000 troops from 27 nations, including NATO’s close partners Finland and Sweden, are taking part in the exercise, as well as about 220 aircraft and more than 50 vessels.
A group of elite Royal Marines also form part of the training exercise which although timed and planned, sends a gentle reminder to Moscow of the consequences should the war spread West. Highlighting the importance of the mission, and remaining highly diplomatic in the process of doing, operation Commander Yngve Odlo said: “It’s a defensive exercise.
Organised every two years, the naval, air and ground drills are held over vast areas of Norway, including above the Arctic Circle, and in sub-zero temperatures.They will, however, stay several hundred kilometres away from Norway’s border with Russia.
Russia declined Norway’s invitation to send observers.
A spokesperson for the Russian Embassy in Oslo said: “Any build-up of NATO military capabilities near Russia’s borders does not help to strengthen security in the region.”
A statement by NATO says: “Cold Response deals with a fictional scenario where Norway is attacked and NATO's collective defence clause, Article 5, is invoked. Exercise Brilliant Jump 2022, the certification of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, is linked to Cold Response.
“NATO Allies are transparent in their exercises and respect their international commitments. Observers from all members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have been invited to Cold Response, but Russia declined the invitation.
“Norway has extended the registration deadline for observers until the March 23.”
Although not known if the U-2 spy plane is part of the operation, the mere presence of the aircraft during the ongoing crisis in Ukraine is notable.
However, surveillance aircraft have long been used by both Russia, the US and its allies under the Treaty on Open Skies, an agreement allowing unarmed spy aircraft to conduct missions over the entire territory of member nations.
