US Air Force jet missing: Plane which 'disappeared' over English Channel lands safely after in-flight emergency

The refuelling aircraft reportedly vanished off radar after it left northern France

The Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker left Amiens in northern France at 0.05am (AP)

A US Air Force refuelling jet which apparently vanished from radar while flying over the English Channel has landed safely after an in-flight emergency.

The Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, which left Amiens in northern France at 12am local time, was last reported by a flight tracking website to be flying between Dover and Calais.

But the military aircraft disappeared from tracking websites just 15 minutes later, according to a report by The Express. It experienced an in-flight emergency at 12.20am, the 100th Air Refueling Wing confirmed.

The jet returned to its base at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, and no one was injured, it said in a statement. The statement added: "Safety is paramount to the success of our mission.

"The air force's stringent safety standards help ensure the well-being of our people and the communities we interact with."

A spokesperson for RAF Mildenhall could not elaborate on the nature of the in-flight emergency to The Independent.

The Boeing plane is used to refuel jets mid-flight and can carry up to 31,000 gallons of fuel.