Mid-Atlantic MilAir 2023

[RaleighGuy]

WEEK AHEAD 12/4 - 12/10​

On Tuesday, the President will travel to the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts.
On Wednesday, the President will deliver remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Summit, hosted at the Department of the Interior.
On Sunday, the President and the First Lady will travel to Wilmington, Delaware.

 

[jetcrafter]

CLEAN-51 KC-10 #86-0027 coming West from Spain over Halifax.
Assume first wave of Tulsa F-16's.. Prob not headed this way and will loop down along Lake Erie.

1157 local CLEAN-63 off Pease headed North.

Coming from Spain, I didn't expect to come home and find out they came through Nova Scotia then down through Maine. Not the usual route but I'm glad they did! UNFORTUNATELY...I was at work and only have recordings of refueling. No fighter A-A comms. If I were home, I could have possibly found the A-As as they were very close to passing over my house! Oh well. Here's what I had:

1656z 242.300 CLEAN 51, 63 and TABOR 11-16 (1st cell) on boom freq over Maine. These comms included comms from the tankers coordinating a meet up between Bangor (KBGR) and Kennebunk (ENE) while 51 was still refueling. When finished, the fighters joined up off the wings of 63 and 51 peeled off the formation. 63 carried on for the next refuel scheduled in 30+ minutes.
1701z 303.000 CLEAN 53, 63 A-A comms, 63 explained they were delayed getting off the ground.
1723z 291.900 CLEAN 51 calling CLEAN 61 for radio check.
1729z 391.000 CLEAN 53, 61 A-A comms, CLEAN 53 explains to 61 he will join the flight between Bangor and Kennebunk.
1734z 297.750 CLEAN 61 and TABOR 21-26 (2nd cell) on boom freq. Finished AR, 61 tells TABORs to change to CONUS boom freq of 391.000
1739z 394.600 CLEAN 63 and TABOR 11-16 (1st cell) switched over from 242.300 to CONUS boom freq for next AR.
1747z 391.000 CLEAN 53, 61 Coordinating next AR and tanker switch over.
1812z 391.000 CLEAN 53, 61 and TABOR 21-26 (2nd cell) CLEAN 61 leaving the flight, TABORs join up on the wings of 53. CLEAN 61 told to contact ZBW on 128.325

 

[aprswatcher]

KC-10’s out of Travis headed Northeast bound over Montana.
RCH 890 in lead and Blue 21 about 30 minutes behind.
73, Rex

 

[Madfox]

KC-10’s out of Travis headed Northeast bound over Montana.
RCH 890 in lead and Blue 21 about 30 minutes behind.
73, Re

CE067, should be for the returning FT A10s from OMAM, BLUE21 is cell one so presume RCH890 will become BLUE31 cell two.

 

[mdmonitor]

0352- SAM 056 (C-32 # 98-0002) land at ADW (118.4).

 

[Mark]

Boeing finally got smart with no more fixed price Mil contracts..
Have a feeling though that they may not totally be out of the running for a new E-4B replacement type.

Exclusive: Boeing eliminated from US Air Force's 'Doomsday Plane' competition

The U.S. Air Force has eliminated Boeing from its competition to develop a successor to the E-4B Nightwatch, Boeing confirmed on Friday, shaking up the battle to build the next version of the aircraft known as the "Doomsday Plane" due to its ability to survive a nuclear war.

www.reuters.com

 

[mdmonitor]

1045- Strange flt route. Keck 205 (C-17 00-0184 171st AS) departed Pittsburgh, flew to Quantico, did a couple of orbits there and now is looking like he's heading back to Pittsburgh.

 

[TerryPavlick]

Boeing finally got smart with no more fixed price Mil contracts..
Have a feeling though that they may not totally be out of the running for a new E-4B replacement type.

Exclusive: Boeing eliminated from US Air Force's 'Doomsday Plane' competition

The U.S. Air Force has eliminated Boeing from its competition to develop a successor to the E-4B Nightwatch, Boeing confirmed on Friday, shaking up the battle to build the next version of the aircraft known as the "Doomsday Plane" due to its ability to survive a nuclear war.

www.reuters.com

I am sure the stockholders made sure of that - when Boeing loses money they lose and that is not acceptable.

Boeing aircraft will be involved but just as part of someone else's contract.

 

[Mark]

1045- Strange flt route. Keck 205 (C-17 00-0184 171st AS) departed Pittsburgh, flew to Quantico, did a couple of orbits there and now is looking like he's heading back to Pittsburgh.

Quite a bit of fog this morning here so maybe Quantico sitting by the river was socked in.

 

[mdmonitor]

Rgr Mark, or maybe some sort of issue with the acft and they aborted and RTB'ed.

 

[Mark]

I am sure the stockholders made sure of that - when Boeing loses money they lose and that is not acceptable.

Boeing aircraft will be involved but just as part of someone else's contract.

I think also like the Custom AF-1 deal so many govt agencies want their new gear added on board and with pricey increases
in labor and electronics it is bound to go way over.. I imagine almost every Govt/Mil agency like USSS,NSA,Stratcom,USAF and their
vendors will all demand part of the new E-4B type... Good luck to the winner sorting it all out..

OT Just like a classic automobile frame up restoration Sikorsky and Coast Guard are doing to MH-60T choppers.
US Coast Guard receives first MH-60T helicopter airframe

 

[MUTNAV]

I am sure the stockholders made sure of that - when Boeing loses money they lose and that is not acceptable.

Boeing aircraft will be involved but just as part of someone else's contract.

Maybe when a competitor signs a fixed price contract and can't finish it (due to lack of deep pockets to absorb losses),

A couple of different ways this could play out.

Thanks
Joel

 

[mdmonitor]

1530- Coke 06 (E-6B # 164386) off PAX heading northwest.

 

[Mark]

The Carrier USS Ford gets a port break in Crete... Must be rainy season in Crete as wx forecast shows showers all next week.
That ship should have been home for Christmas

World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Souda Bay

World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Souda Bay, Greece, for Scheduled Port Visit.

www.dvidshub.net

RCH-151 KC-135 #57-1499 Utah 151 ARW inbound McGuire req follow me,fuel,airstairs to pick up Pax
on CP 237.150. Don't get the Utes out here often.

 

[RaleighGuy]

From Friday, December 8th to Sunday, December 10th, the President will travel to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, California.

 

[TerryPavlick]

Maybe when a competitor signs a fixed price contract and can't finish it (due to lack of deep pockets to absorb losses),

A couple of different ways this could play out.

Thanks
Joel

The competitor would have to start with a clean sheet design with four engines. There is only one competitor that does not need a clean sheet design - that being Airbus - but not sure that would pass scrutiny with it not being "made in the USA"

 

[Mark]

The competitor would have to start with a clean sheet design with four engines. There is only one competitor that does not need a clean sheet design - that being Airbus - but not sure that would pass scrutiny with it not being "made in the USA"

Lockheed wants the new possible Navy E-6B to be EC-130J type that has has 4 engines.. I can see that possibly but I think USAF will want 4 engine fast high altitude jet to be a new E-4B type like you say... Boeing will get this eventually on their terms even if Pentagon drops 4 engine
mandate. I don't see why a Boeing 777 type which can fly on one engine couldn't be a replacement.

Article below says Pax River may get Lockheed E-6B replacement test bed in 2026.
This Is Our First Look At The Navy’s Next 'Doomsday Plane,' The EC-130J TACAMO

RCH-268 C-17 #09-9206 from Charleston inbound Dover for uploads on Dover CP 349.400

 

[Mark]

USAF F-15E's hard at work off the UK RAF Lakentheath earlier this past evening at Sunset..
Teddy Bear got nice vid of 4 unrestricted climb outs. Gets them up above cloud deck in a hurry

 

[wx9svr]

USAF F-15E's hard at work off the UK RAF Lakentheath earlier this past evening at Sunset..
Teddy Bear got nice vid of 4 unrestricted climb outs. Gets them up above cloud deck in a hurry

His "Quick Climb Friday" video from that morning was busy as well.

 

[Dutchmil]

Interesting video about fly-overs ....