Researchers have located a German Dornier 17 “Flying Pencil” bomber shot down during the Battle of Britain in 1940. It is buried in a sandbank about 50 feet below the surface in the English Channel off of the British coast, according to press reports. The RAF Museum in London issued a statement, acknowledging the find and revealing that the aircraft appears to be “very well preserved” based on sonar scans. Efforts are now planned to retrieve the bomber for the museum’s Battle of Britain gallery. The aircraft was reportedly discovered when a fishing boat snagged its nets on it. (See FoxNews report and Toronto Sun report.)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
