Darlington residents may have heard the roaring of fighter jets overhead into the early hours of the morning this past week - here's why. 

Multiple RAF fighter jets have been soaring through the skies above Darlington this week for night flying.

The jets, which have been taking off from RAF Coningsby near Lincoln, are training for military operations as well as air crew.

The night training exercises take place multiple times a year, with the latest being this week from September 30 onwards according to the RAF website.

The aircraft are Typhoon FGR4s, twin-engine fighter jets with a 36ft (11m) wingspan armed with air-to-air missiles, precision-guided bombs, and air-to-ground projectiles.

Typhoons can reach maximum speeds of 1,381mph – almost twice the speed of sound – and a single jet costs some £120m.

The RAF describes the Typhoon FGR4 as an “extremely agile, multi-role combat aircraft” that underpins its military operations at home and abroad.

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The RAF’s Typhoon force consisted of 137 aircraft in seven squadrons as of February 2023 (Jane Barlow/PA)

The fighter jets are supported by Voyager aircraft, 192ft (59m) long air-to-air refuelling tankers equipped with two underwing pods for restocking the Typhoons over long ranges.

The next week of night flying is set to be from November 4, but the planned flight path is not known.