flightradar24

[brocola]

RAF A400 looks like she’s practising for her ‘low level cargo drop’ badge over the Bristol Channel

 

[63720]

2 Ospreys out and about.

 

[icantremember]

2 Ospreys out and about.

View attachment 598927

Just gone over our bungalow

 

[Janine]

3 military helicopters just went over my house at about 500 feet.

Nothing showing on FR24 except this. Love the callsign

 

[brocola]

3 military helicopters just went over my house at about 500 feet.

Nothing showing on FR24 except this. Love the callsign

UGLY1 callsign is usually used by a UK Army Air Corps Apache. Think this one is on its way down from Leeming area, possibly to Somerset (Middle Wallop) or Essex/Suffolk (Wattisham?)

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[LesW]

These Apaches often fly around here, we're not far from Wattisham.

 

[jockaneezer]

A bit of a diversion, but triggered by the "interesting call signs" posts, Ewan McGregor's brother Colin was an RAF Tornado pilot and his call sign, in deference to his brother's role in Star Wars was Obi Two !

 

[Clarky]

Ugly4 has just flown right over our house before turning on to Wattisham approach.
Nothing unusual about that for us except that Ugly4 is one of the new Apache AH - 64E variants.
Looks like he is on a test flight.

 

[monzer]

You find out anything about your mystery flight? brocola

 

[brocola]

You find out anything about your mystery flight? brocola

Nope sorry, nothing definite, but I’ve been thinking there’s a few possibilities. It’s also interesting with Biden being in Brussels, and it being over the Lakenheath/ Mildenhall area.

A U2 apparently left Fairford @5:36 this morning and this was at 11am, which seems too short a flight. The U2 cruising speed is 475knots, which coincidentally equates to 764km/h - whereas the mysterious plane was showing 762knots - a conveniently close number, albeit in the wrong units.

Could it be a metric/imperial conversion issue? Or a U2 in a dive haha? Feels like it would shake apart going 700+knots as they don’t seem very sturdy.

As much as I’d love it to be, I don’t think it would have been something unannounced/ covert, like a new SR72 Blackbird replacement. If it was, I can’t imagine they would make the mistake of having transponder on. But who knows, with Biden being just the other side of the channel.

Doing some digging, in theory a single Seat F15C (lots currently deployed to Lakenheath) can reach 85,000ft+ if not carrying much ordnance or fuel - just takes a while to get there. The record for a F15 is apparently 103,000ft, but that’s with everything stripped off.

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[monzer]

Couple Aero Albatros' flying around Estonia right now. Not seen these before, quite a nice aircraft if not a little dated.

 

[Raul]

I see more of this trend lately, they don’t need to come from afar. Looks like they brought quite a bit of capability in the eastern bases. This one took of from Constanta.

 

[monzer]

I see more of this trend lately, they don’t need to come from afar. Looks like they brought quite a bit of capability in the eastern bases. This one took of from Constanta. View attachment 599169

Amazing bit of kit.

 

[brocola]

Couple Aero Albatros' flying around Estonia right now. Not seen these before, quite a nice aircraft if not a little dated.

View attachment 599161

View attachment 599159

Once I got to grips with the basics of the P51 Mustang, the L39 Albatross is the first jet engined aircraft I’ve been learning to fly in DCS (a flight sim). A lot simpler to learn and way fewer buttons to remember than anything more modern like F16 or F18

 

[monzer]

Once I got to grips with the P51 Mustang, the L39 Albatross is the first jet engined aircraft I’ve been learning to fly in DCS. A lot simpler to learn and way fewer buttons to remember than anything more modern like F16 or F18

That must be fun?!

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[brocola]

I see more of this trend lately, they don’t need to come from afar. Looks like they brought quite a bit of capability in the eastern bases. This one took of from Constanta.

I think the prototype Bombardier Challenger ARTEMIS spy plane that’s been sniffing the Moldova/Ukrainian border for the last month or so has been flying out of Constanta. ARTEMIS is the prototype replacement for Rivet Joint.

I saw a report this morning that ARTEMIS has filed a flight plan to Glasgow Prestwick, possibly going back to the USA, which might explain why they’ve moved a Rivet Joint down to Constanta?

 

[Jamesh]

That must be fun?!

Can't you fly the F35 yet?!

 

[monzer]

Can't you fly the F35 yet?!

I couldn't fly a kite!

 

[brocola]

For those who didn’t see the news, Biden is scheduled to visit Rsezow, Poland today, so there’ll likely be increased activity in that area which we might get to see.

 

[brocola]

FADER52 BUFF loitering over northern Denmark. I’m guessing it’s practising coordinating with the ground and naval forces involved in Exercise Cold Response.

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[PhilandMena]

A shed load of NATO planes in the air at the moment.

 

[brocola]

Looks like Biden is due to leave Brussels for Rzezow at 11:55, so probably ramping up. E3 AWACS just taken off from Geilenkirchen, Germany, possibly as support for his visit.

 

[brocola]

This seems to be somewhat significant in terms of overt Swedish cooperation with NATO. A Swedish S102B Korpen looks like it has the weekend day shift monitoring the eastern Poland/Belarus border. Usually they’re seen monitoring the Baltic Sea and Kalingrad. First time I’ve seen one over Poland.

The S102B Korpen is a Gulfstream IV heavily modified to carry out electronic intelligence/surveillance missions. Kind of a mini Rivet Joint. Here’s some info on previous missions in the med

How Swedish aircraft challenge Russians over the Mediterranean

On May 1, 2018, a Swedish Air Force S102B Korpen has started operating in the eastern Med.The aircraft is one of two SwAF's S102B Korpen aircraft, heavily-modified Gulfstream IVSP business jets used to perform ELINT missions. These aircraft …

www.wearethemighty.com

 

[brocola]

Exercise Frisian Flag starts tomorrow off north Netherlands coast

 

[brocola]

3 Rivet Joints seem to be up sniffing today - 2xUS and 1xRAF

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[Two on Tour]

This is a bit different flying over us today.

 

[monzer]

3 Rivet Joints seem to be up sniffing today - 2xUS and 1xRAF
View attachment 600284

And that nice looking yank plane doing his weird little pattern again in Lithuania...

 

[brocola]

USAF F15 patrolling with it’s transponder on over Rzeszlow, Poland

Looks like it was also refuelling from a tanker, no doubt with some invisible friends.

 

[PhilandMena]

USA Chinook in the area too.

 

[brocola]

One BUFF taken up station over Eastern Romania and another looks like it's on it's way

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