Sonic boom heard over Paris due to fighter jet

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - A loud boom was heard Wednesday afternoon over the city of Paris and its suburbs when a fighter jet crossed the sound barrier, police said.

"A very important noise was heard in Paris and in the Paris region. There is no explosion. It is about a fighter plane that crossed the sound barrier," read a statement issued by the prefecture of police.

The sound was even heard at the Roland Garros stadium, which lies outside the city center, interrupting play there of the French Open.

The National Police of the Essone, a Paris suburb, also confirmed the sudden noise.

"Following a detonation or explosion heard over the whole of the department 5 minutes ago, it is [confirmed that it is] a plane which crossed the sound barrier over Paris."

The plane, a Dassault Rafale, is a French twin-engine canard Delta wing fighter aircraft built by Dassault Aviation, which is headquartered in Paris. It had taken off from the Saint-Dizier-Robinson-Air Base, a French Air Force fighter aircraft base located in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northeastern France.

The aircraft in question was accompanying another jet with which it had lost contact. Passing the sound barrier and reaching a supersonic speed, it caused a shock wave that gave rise to the supersonic boom heard.