Ahhh OK, thanks Brian! I presume we proably have an equivalent in Oz too!
Indeed you do! Does anyone (@vero ?) know if there is a French equivalent?
Like Brexit!
More like the after effects of Brexit.
We know how our lives have changed, now it is the UKās turn.
Could be Secret Defense in this case 
there are various injonctions that can be used as well, depending.
Explanation: thereās a big olā exercise going on all over the SW, have a look at france bleu perigord for details.
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Thanks, Vero. Good suggestion but that exercise is a long way south from me, and the sound I heard stayed constant in pitch and volume for a good 8-10 minutes. Aircraft flying combat missions/simulations donāt do that!
Something EVEN MORE SECRET taps nose knowingly (without a clue).
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Could it be rocket motor testing - it used to happen near us in UK.
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It was certainly the right kind of sound for rocket/jet testing. Iāve never heard it before around here though and Iād imagine that if they were testing the things it would be a fairly regular occurrence
It might simply have been a one-offā¦
and possibly weāll never know the whys and wherefores, if it was connected with exercises and/or secret stuff.
And France being the world military power that she is, they donāt have to tell us.
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Interesting. Good question. On that same day, 10.30/11am ish, I too heard unusual very loud sound near Gramat 46. Rumbled on for about 10 mins. could see nothing. I could not tell if it was airborne or underground. It was louder than the gravel tipping going on at the same time and a deeper sound,
Grateful that I now know what a D notice is .
.
When living in the Pennines in the UK, an exercise/practice once involved about a dozen C130 Hercules flying line astern up the valley, doing practice drops, with the back open, but not actually dropping anything. They all went in a big loop via an adjacent valley to return and practice drop again. It was very noisy and went on for about 20 to 30 minutes non stop. Something similar perhaps ?
8 to 10 minutes is probably far too long for a rocket static fire test. The SLS full duration static test was only just over 8 minutes, and there are very few rockets that will burn that long. European big rocket static fire tests are done at Kourou in French Guiana.
Edit: There is a rocket static fire test facility in France. Itās at Vernon, which is between Paris and Rouen.
We had that yesterday late evening - rumbling plane noise, going round and round. OH suggested next time they might like to do their manoeuvres over Paris. 
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Last year we had a thunderstorm which went on for about an hour of constant noise not individual thunder claps just an hour long noise, it was quite bizarre.
Sheesh i didnt realise my amp was turned up so high when blasting out ACDC
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Latest from the NOTAM information to pilots
The ArmĆ©e de lāair et de lāespace has confirmed an annual military exercise taking place across southwest and central France, which will last until October 15.
This exercise is called Volfa, a three-week-long period of high intensity combat training which involves around 25 manoeuvres carried out at all times of the day and night and using 50 different planes.
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What did I sayā¦ 
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