flightradar24

[Phill D]

Digging around, seems I was mistaken and apparently the A400 can do low level parachute drops at 150ft. Somewhat nervous that the situation has got so bad they feel they need to practise

The other possibility is practising combat approaches

impressive piece of kit,
but, would anyone want to parachute at 150ft

 

[brocola]

Q please : do they refuel the unmanned drones mid air ?

or is that a step too far

Not yet operationally, but it’s being trialled. I believe they’ve got a prototype Global Hawk which can refuel another Global Hawk.

US Navy is trialing MQ25 Stingray drone tankers launched off carriers to refuel the manned F/A18 hornets etc.

 

[Silver-Fox]

impressive piece of kit,
but, would anyone want to parachute at 150ft

Best ask Jim

Did they used to drop very low level in WW11 over forests.

 

[Despicable]

Best ask Jim

Did they used to drop very low level in WW11 over forests.

I think it was during the Malayan campaign in the 50s. To drop through a hardwood tree will hurt.

 

[Silver-Fox]

I think it was during the Malayan campaign in the 50s. To drop through a hardwood tree will hurt.

I thought I’d read something somewhere.

That takes some cahonas to do that no matter how slow you are traveling

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[Phill D]

800 feet used to be the standard military drop.
It could probably be cut a few feet but there is absolutely no chance of a canopy opening in 150ft.
What would be used to break the fall I have no idea.

 

[brocola]

Europe - a few mostly cargo military aircraft visible this time of night, little else transmitting visibly, but likely a lot more ‘invisible’ aircraft about.

Appreciate its still daytime, but USA looks more like the whole country is one huge airbase. Don’t know if it usually looks this busy, never really looked over the pond

 

[brocola]

There’s been something heavy flying over Gloucestershire the past 3 or 4 days early doors.

Reports are that US U2 BLACK01 took off again from Fairford for its daily flight approx 30 mins ago

 

[AndyPK]

Yes, I believe it did, the noisy bu**er!

 

[Despicable]

800 feet used to be the standard military drop.
It could probably be cut a few feet but there is absolutely no chance of a canopy opening in 150ft.
What would be used to break the fall I have no idea.

Sorry to divert from the thread.
Regarding 'parachuting' from low heights: https://www.paradata.org.uk/article/tree-jumping-during-malayan-emergency-1948-1960-22nd-sas

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[brocola]

BBC journo got a ride on a NATO E3 AWACS

 

[brocola]

F15s out of Lakenheath over North Wales and Somerset.
V22 Osprey out of Mildenhall on its way to Hull area

 

[brocola]

Looks like some Typhoons refuelled by a Voyager have been for a trip to Poland again this morning.

 

[Jenben]

Reports are that US U2 BLACK01 took off again from Fairford for its daily flight approx 30 mins ago

I can confirm this as I was swimming in the lake which is pretty near the end of the runway as it took off. It looked to be followed by a pair of B52s .

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I can confirm this as I was swimming in the lake at the end of the runway as it took off. It looked to be followed by a pair of B52s .

The two B52’s just flew directly over us on their way out to the North Sea. According to Flightradar24 they took off from Kemble(!)

Also Biggles x 2 flew over on their way back to Coningsby after an 0350 start. A bit early for tea and medals but it is Friday and they probably have a mess party planned and a piano to burn.**

** I spend too much time in the company of ex RAF people and have the utmost admiration for them and their professional approach nowadays but doesn’t stop me taking the mick out of them.

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[Silver-Fox]

Reports are that US U2 BLACK01 took off again from Fairford for its daily flight approx 30 mins ago

I think I heard that but not as noisy as the previous flights I’d heard earlier in the morning.

 

[brocola]

Sometimes I wonder if the answer to every question ever asked is somewhere on the internet, the problem is working out where to look

Takeoffs and landings from Fairford https://ffdmovements.blogspot.com

Looks like the B52s were up early a few days recently. Otherwise it's the U2s, with a few C17s and C21 (Learjets?) on odd days.

 

[Janine]

F15s out of Lakenheath over North Wales and Somerset.
V22 Osprey out of Mildenhall on its way to Hull area

View attachment 591649

The F15's have been going over my house every day for several months. They must have known something would be kicking off.

 

[DuxDeluxe]

The F15's have been going over my house every day for several months. They must have known something would be kicking off.

They were in fact sneaking pictures of you sunbathing in the back garden……..

 

[Silver-Fox]

They were in fact sneaking pictures of you sunbathing in the back garden……..

Sunbathing this time of year

I think they are spying on her unfriendly neighbours

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[suavecarve]

I think it was during the Malayan campaign in the 50s. To drop through a hardwood tree will hurt.

How tough are Gurkhas?

foreignpolicy.com

Story goes that during WWII, the British Indian Army planned to drop a company of the toughest Gurkhas behind Japanese lines to help stop the oncoming invaders. A British major explained the plan to the Gurkha sergeant major, saying: “We’ll drop you from 600 feet.”
The sergeant major talked to his troops, then went back to the major: “Sah, the men say 600 feet too high. They want to be dropped lower.” The British major said: “All right, sergeant major, we’ll make it 500 feet.”
The sergeant major spoke to his troops again, and again went back to the major: “Sah, the men say 500 feet is still too high and want to be dropped lower.” The major said: “Sergeant major, we could go down to 400 feet to drop you but that wouldn’t leave enough time for the parachutes to open.”
Sergeant major: “Ooohhh, paraaaachutes???”

 

[brocola]

Irish owned Bombardier Business Jet tagged as ‘military’ out of Farnborough seems to have been dropping someone off in Rzezow, Poland. Maybe they’re doing some sightseeing? Apparently there’s a nice cathedral…

 

[brocola]

How tough are Gurkhas?

foreignpolicy.com

Imagine the Health & Safety assessment on that nowadays...

 

[68c]

Imagine the Health & Safety assessment on that nowadays...

As an Army Apprentice in the late 1960s we had a lecture by an ex Gurkha soldier who had won a VC in the far east. Sadly I do not remember his name. It seems they were defending a bridge from the Japanese Army, he was wounded and unable to retreat with his comrades, staying at his machine gun. He held them off for so long the rest of his company managed to regroup, retake the bridge and save our hero. One of our Apprentices asked him how he had the courage to fight on while wounded, he replied " If I had let them across they would have killed me."

 

[suavecarve]

As an Army Apprentice in the late 1960s we had a lecture by an ex Gurkha soldier who had won a VC in the far east. Sadly I do not remember his name. It seems they were defending a bridge from the Japanese Army, he was wounded and unable to retreat with his comrades, staying at his machine gun. He held them off for so long the rest of his company managed to regroup, retake the bridge and save our hero. One of our Apprentices asked him how he had the courage to fight on while wounded, he replied " If I had let them across they would have killed me."

I have 3 ghurkas work on my team, in a previous life they were the Regimental Sergant-Major, a Major and a Lieutenant. On my previous team I had a Corporal and the Highest ranking Nepalese Officer in the British Army at his time (Major).

I could go really off thread here, so will hold back apart from saying they are the most magnificent human beings

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[brocola]

Looks like a lot of invisible 'somethings' need refuelling off Western Scotland right now - both RAF and USAF tankers up, unless the KC-10 is off to somewhere else.

 

[Insider]

Irish owned Bombardier Business Jet tagged as ‘military’ out of Farnborough seems to have been dropping someone off in Rzezow, Poland. Maybe they’re doing some sightseeing? Apparently there’s a nice cathedral…

View attachment 591697

I could be wrong but I seem to recall a story in the last few days saying our government were sending a plane due to the amount of babies arriving via surrogacy in the Ukraine. Cathedral could be handy to make sure they're proper catholic before they arrive here

 

[brocola]

FORTE10 up

 

[brocola]

Some heavy metal and a lot of gas currently in the skies over Romania. Apparently a planned NATO exercise, nothing to see here..

The B52s look like they're over a reasonably flat part of Romania, close to the coast. I imagine they are visible on air defence radar for anyone quite a way out over the Black Sea and Southern Ukraine, possibly 200 miles or more.

 

[brocola]

Looks like a German Air Force A400 might have been getting a top up from the NACHO tanker. Doesn’t appear on FR24, but shows up on adsbexchange.com

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