
Tom Cruise has made it his personal mission to make any thrilling action scene look possible, by doing it all himself.

And in the fifth installment of Mission: Impossible, the 52-year-old actor wasn't going to let someone else step in when he went 5,000ft above the British countryside for his latest incredible movie stunt.

The Hollywood actor surpassed himself when he put himself in grave danger, hanging from the side of an Airbus A400M in a full tailored suit in character as Ethan Hunt, while the aircraft flew over the UK.

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Most dangerous stunt yet: Tom Cruise hangs from the side of a moving Airbus A400 M flying over the British countryside for Mission: Impossible 5

Bracing himself: The stunt is thought to be his most daring yet, including sequences that have seen him scale the world's tallest building and free run across moving cars

Tom, who's scaled the world's tallest building and free climbed Colorado's 2,000ft canyons for the Mission Impossible movie franchise, was once again going solo on the death-defying stunt.

The action lover put his life on the line as he took to the skies; using just the side of the aircraft to help maintain his horizontal positioning while the plane glided over the British landscape.

He was hanging from the door of the aircraft on two safety harnesses but used the fixtures on the four engine military vehicle to grip with both hands.

All his own work: With little practise on the ground, the Hollywood actor, 52, performed his own death-defying stunt at 5,000ft in a full suit, gripping tightly to the travelling aircraft when it took off across the UK

Perfect preparation: The actor, insisting on doing the stunt solo, is briefed on the best way to lower his risk in the air

Stunt pro: Well accustomed to the risks of doing his own stunts, the 52-year-old Hollywood hero gets himself into position before the aircraft takes flight

And the 5ft 6" actor spared himself the protective clothing, dressing as Ethan in a charcoal slim fit suit that gave him limited movement and scaling the moving airbus in just brown brogues to offer him minimal grip.

Mission Impossible 5, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, sees Tom reprise his role as Ethan, a Field Agent for secret agency Impossible Mission Force, for a fifth time.

The fourth installment Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was released in December 2011 and grossed more than $700million at the box office worldwide.

And the follow up is sure to be an exciting one as Tom was straight up to heights of 5,000ft on what was to be a clear day for flying in the rural UK location.

Holding tight: Tom has faced all sorts of dangers in his career, saying that one of his first was fearing being shot in 1981 film Taps

Flying high: The actor was suspended at 5,000 feet as the movie shot in Britain in September - Mission Impossible 5 has also filmed in Monaco, Austria and Morocco

Easy breezy: Tom, in character as Ethan Hunt, dressed in a tailored suit and brown brogue shoes that were not too practical for the stunt

All his own work: Pictures show the actor at a terrifying height, strapped to the aircraft door with only two safety harnesses

Tom - famous for action hero roles in movies such as Roy Miller in Knight And Day and Maverick in cult classic Top Gun - was shown the ropes by a double wearing his identical suit and an engineer wearing a boiler suit.

But the stunt pro didn't need much convincing when it came to doing it himself, in what was to be his most ambitious stunt to date.

When Tom scaled the Burj Khalifa in Dubai for the movie's prequel Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, he described the experience as a 'learning on the job' approach, in conversation with Total Film.

He said: 'I literally had to figure a way to fly because even with months of training, I didn’t anticipate the crosswinds you get when you’re up that high.

Didn't take much convincing: Tom - seen here being secured into the safety equiptment - has admitted in the past that he doesn't get scared by his stunts

Acting it out: A double wears an identical suit to Cruise as the actor is guided into a horizontal position for flight on set

Safety first: A crew member wearing a boiler suit appears to fasten Tom onto the aircraft to ensure his safety is maintained

Showing him the ropes: While Tom might have been walked through the scene, the work was all his own and his safety was never guaranteed with such a death-defying sequence

Behind the scenes: Engineers help get Cruise fixed to the aircraft, as a camera prepares to capture the scenes under the wing

'Once I figured out how to use my feet as rudders and got the spatial awareness, we got the shots we wanted.'

Not short of its action packed scenes, the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible box set, also saw the father of three free run across moving vehicles and mount a moving car in the grips of a desert sand storm.

The fourth Mission Impossible film was Cruise's biggest commercial success to date - a film that came after his personal struggles with a divorce from estranged wife Katie Holmes, with whom he has daughter Suri Cruise, eight.

He has previously been married to actresses Nicole Kidman (who he had two children with, Isabella Jane Cruise and Connor Cruise) as well as Mimi Rogers.

Tom in action: The actor has played roles like Roy Miller in Knight And Day and Maverick in cult classic Top Gun but Mission Impossible's Ethan is his most adventurous profile of work

The real deal: The Airbus A400M is a four engine military transport aircraft, seen here looking vast in comparison with the 5ft6in actor

Up close: Tom is seen hanging from the door of the aircraft as he reprises his role as a Field Agent for secret agency Impossible Mission Force, for a fifth time

Steady as she goes: The Risky Business actor, who has three children, was taking his life into his hands with the action scene

Tom was recently romantically linked to Mean Girls actress Lindsay Lohan - who is also in the UK for a West End role in Speed-The-Plow - but representatives later denied claims that the pair were 'secretly dating' after exchanging numbers at London hotspot The Chiltern Firehouse in early October this year.

Besides Great Britain, the New York native has also been filming in Monaco, Austria and Morocco alongside stunt co-ordinator Wade Eastwood, who ensures that all of Tom's daredevil scenes are filmed with the Academy Award winning actor's safety in mind.

On set, a stunt man appears to demonstrate the thrilling sequence ahead of Tom's efforts, though he doesn't dress in Ethan's costume, suggesting the scenes wouldn't be used for the film.

Stunt co-ordination: Mission Impossible star Tom is working with stunt co-ordinator Wade Eastwood on the fifth film in the franchise

New heights: The fourth movie, named Mission Impossible: Ghost Photocol grossed more than $700million at the box office worldwide

Picture perfect: A dummy was seen attached to the side of the plane as the dramatic scene took hold

In flight: In Tom's first role as Cadet Captain David Shawn, Tom admitted that he had to dive straight in the terrifying action scenes

Tom once said that he 'didn't get scared' when it came to performing his own stunts and said that it was part of him doing the character justice.

Talking to British television host Graham Norton in 2012, the actor admitted: 'People do say no, but as an actor you bring everything, physically and emotionally, to a character.

'I’m able to do them (stunts). I’ve trained for 30 years doing things like that. I don’t get scared. It’s quite technical but sometimes things go wrong.'

Tom has also played emotive and comedic roles in Rain Man and Jerry Maguire, but from the start of his Hollywood career, Tom's characater choices have been predominantly action heroes.

Watchful eye: A large camera is fitted to the four engine aircraft to make sure that not a second of the action hero's efforts are missed

Wind swept: Tom tackles the breeze at 5,000ft; his tailored suit billowing in the wind and offered no safety features for the star

Risking it all: Tom has over 30 years of experience in the business when it comes to not scaring easily for stunts like this one

Friendly skies: Tom films in Great Britain, where fellow actress Lindsay Lohan is acting in the West End and the pair are accused of 'secretly dating' while in the same city on business

In his first big film role in 1981, the heartthrob played Cadet Captain David Shawn in Taps and he later admitted that stepping into the role was a terrifying experience.

To W Magazine, the actor recalled: 'I didn't want to look like I was dumb but between takes I pulled the guy aside and said, "Have you done this before? You're not going to shoot me, are you?" I was terrified that my first big part would be my last.'

Mission Impossible 5 is due in cinemas in later 2015 and sees performances from Hollywood royalty Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin and Jeremy Renner.

No safety net: Mission Impossible is expected to packed with far more action scenes than even the last when it comes to cinemas in 2015

Follow up: Mission Impossible: Ghostly Protocol was Cruise's biggest commercial success to date, and the fifth hopes to pack a punch

Acting royalty: Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin and Jeremy Renner are also expected to star alongside Tom in the movie sequel