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This is the incredible moment a stealth bomber is refuelled over the Cornish coastline in a rare trip to England.

Two B-2 Spirit aircraft from the U.S. Air Force have been deployed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

It is very unusual for the groundbreaking bombers to be deployed outside of the U.S., because their long-flying ability meaning they can normally operate from a domestic base.

Sentinel of the sky: This is the incredible moment a U.S. stealth bomber is refuelled over the Cornish coastline.

The high-tech aircraft, which has a wingspan of 52-metres and can fly for as long as 44 hours, was photographed above Cornwall's picturesque northern coastline.

It was performing a mid-air refuelling with a KC-135 Stratotanker from RAF Mildenhall.

The image was captured on June 11 by Senior Airman Christine Griffiths and now released by the U.S. Air Force.

The U.S. military said the B-2 was 'participating in familiarisation training operations' in the UK.

Admiral Cecil Haney, commander, U.S. Strategic Command, said: 'This deployment of strategic bombers provides an invaluable opportunity to strengthen and improve interoperability with our allies and partners.

'The training and integration of strategic forces demonstrates to our nation's leaders and our allies that we have the right mix of aircraft and expertise to respond to a variety of potential threats and situations.'

The billion-dollar bomber, which has a crew of two, has an unrefuelled range of approximately 6,000 nautical miles and can hold 75-tonnes of fuel. File picture

The B-2-bomber photographed above Cornwall is assigned to 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.

Launched in 1997, the stealth bomber is one of the most recognisable aircraft ever launched and carries conventional and nuclear weapons.

The billion-dollar bomber, which has a crew of two, has an unrefuelled range of approximately 6,000 nautical miles and can hold 75-tonnes of fuel.

According to the US military, the B-2's 'stealth characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defences and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets'.