A LOUD RAF plane has been roaring across Dorset this afternoon.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III took flight at Bournemouth Airport and has been circling around from the Purbecks to the Bournemouth coast.

The Globemaster III is an American large military transport aircraft developed for the US Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas.

It can transport 100,000lb (45,360kg) of freight more than 4,500nm (8,334km) while flying at altitudes above 35,000ft.

The plane design was initially developed for the United States Air Force in the 1980s and later used by the Royal Air Force, with the first C-17 being delivered to the RAF in 2001.

Boeing says the aircraft can carry a payload of up to 74,797kg, fly 6,230 nautical miles with no payload, refuel while in flight, and still land in less than 914 metres on an airfield.

The Daily Echo has contacted the Ministry of Defence for more information.