Mid-Atlantic MilAir 2024

[hrspotter]

HR

COTHEN is used by CG & DHS (DEA, Border Patrol) assets. They usually transmit an ALE (Automatic Link Establishment) "handshake burst" then will go into clear voice USB comms once contact is established. Sometimes some interesting comms on human trafficking ops, counter drug ops or SAR ops.

I sometimes forget about the DHS component of it, hearing mainly CG assets. I’m located very close to CommCom as well as the transmitter in VB. However, last night I was receiving bursts from a DHS aircraft offshore Ecuador, calling addresses formatted like phone numbers. Bursts from the a/c were very weak and bursts seemingly coming from the number addresses were very strong. Heard the “the caller you are trying to reach is not available” and other automated voice prompts. Searching up some of the numbers gives an OIG/DHS advisory about Department numbers used to scam people, but none of the numbers are in the PDF.

Figured in case it’s an ongoing op I’d err on the side of caution. I get that it’s in the clear, but real-time updates on operations is a good way to change that. Routine stuff, maybe not so much.
Thanks

 

[brianmanig]

They looked like F-35s to me. The 49ers Instagram page tagged US Navy Reserve in their post…but that wouldn’t make sense given the F-16s. ADSB showed the aircraft landing at Moffett.

They were most likely Navy F16s from Fallon. They have quite a few there surprisingly!

 

[mdmonitor]

0955- GAF 007 (German AF A-400) off PAX. More drogue testing today? Now, looks to be heading to Dulles.

 

[mdmonitor]

The Crisis Watch site is speculating that the KC-135s we saw earlier are related to an upcoming strike on the Iranian proxy sites that attacked our troops in Jordan. They are speculating that Barksdale/Minot B-52s or Dyess B-1s will carry out the strikes in next 15 hours.

If true, I would expect increased levels of EAMs on HF and not much ADS-B tracking. I would also urge discretion on real-time posting of any VHF/UHF noted.

 

[Mark]

Guess the Navy/Marines working off Baja California today with 8 Tankers
coming out of Travis.. Tankers callsigns MOBIL and JAEGER and a WINNY.

 

[john8436]

1307 Hrs. Local: KC135R 62-3512 AE0627 heading south and departed Burlington, VT.

Wondering if the VT ANG F35's are heading somewhere?

 

[mdmonitor]

1332- Tint 01 (C-17 # 07-7175 3rd AS) working DOV approach (132.425). Request several patterns then combat offload before more pattern work.

 

[TerryPavlick]

1307 Hrs. Local: KC135R 62-3512 AE0627 heading south and departed Burlington, VT.

Wondering if the VT ANG F35's are heading somewhere?

a bit too high for refueling along the way

 

[Mark]

1332- Tint 01 (C-17 # 07-7175 3rd AS) working DOV approach (132.425). Request several patterns then combat offload before more pattern work.

Press Secretary was asked if Potus will be attending a Dignified Transfer at Dover AFB of recent bombing victims.
Course they are not gonna answer that question... But expect that aircraft out of Germany prob in next couple days.
Probably also will soon have Med-Evac C-17 to Andrews soon as well.
I think Potus is in Florida for a couple days coming up.

 

[N4TX]

NYTimes:Air defenses failed to stop a deadly attack on a U.S. military outpost in Jordan on Sunday because the hostile drone homed in on its target at the same time an American drone was returning to the base, two U.S. officials said Monday.

The return of the American surveillance drone to the remote resupply base prompted some confusion over whether the incoming drone was friendly or not, and air defenses were not immediately activated, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an internal investigation into the matter. Two other drones that attacked other locations nearby were shot down, they added.
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I'd like to think we could do a better job telling ours from theirs. We've had IFF since, uh, WW2.

 

[TerryPavlick]

NYTimes:Air defenses failed to stop a deadly attack on a U.S. military outpost in Jordan on Sunday because the hostile drone homed in on its target at the same time an American drone was returning to the base, two U.S. officials said Monday.

The return of the American surveillance drone to the remote resupply base prompted some confusion over whether the incoming drone was friendly or not, and air defenses were not immediately activated, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an internal investigation into the matter. Two other drones that attacked other locations nearby were shot down, they added.
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I'd like to think we could do a better job telling ours from theirs. We've had IFF since, uh, WW2.

More likely next time it happens they will just take out both of them......drones are replaceable - humans cannot be replaced.
There may have been jamming involved as well.....so the sophistication probably pointed to US government in the right direction of the true attackers.

 

[Mark]

Must be the calm weather as finally no rain but Mil aircraft sure are busy today
across the Country.. Locally SCAN-05 CRJ-7 out of BWI working the area overland.. Maybe offshore areas are too busy.

 

[Mark]

More likely next time it happens they will just take out both of them......drones are replaceable - humans cannot be replaced.
There may have been jamming involved as well.....so the sophistication probably pointed to US government in the right direction of the true attackers.

I like what someone said a couple weeks ago about how expensive it is to shoot down the arrows
and when do we start shooting at the Archers? Makes some sense there.

Unusual low flying transitory chopper at 600 feet Northeast bound from Jacksonville NC..
STORM-21 CH-53K #169020 supposedly from VMX-1 of Yuma Arizona. Heading to Sikorsky service factory?

 

[TerryPavlick]

Must be the calm weather as finally no rain but Mil aircraft sure are busy today
across the Country.. Locally SCAN-05 CRJ-7 out of BWI working the area overland.. Maybe offshore areas are too busy.

View attachment 155770

some T38s out in W386 and some other aircraft working Giantkiller

 

[TerryPavlick]

I like what someone said a couple weeks ago about how expensive it is to shoot down the arrows
and when do we start shooting at the Archers? Makes some sense there.

yeah makes you wonder if they were tracking the signal back to the origin point -- so they could refine targeting. Then compare to images taken from satellite.

 

[RaleighGuy]

I think Potus is in Florida for a couple days coming up.

Tomorrow Miami and PBI, day trip

 

[mdmonitor]

1450- CTM 2075 (French AF A-400 F-RBAU) inbound to NAS Chambers.

 

[Mark]

It appears most of the red flag players have moved over to several California bases for now. Not sure how long these exercises will run though!

I think your right as one of the many tankers today offshore Baja Cal today is ZZ-335 RAF (CIGAR-11) tanker.
Red Flag Baja? LOL.. Maybe after Red Flag 24-1 some folks said some large International tanker training missions offshore would be good.

 

[MUTNAV]

NYTimes:Air defenses failed to stop a deadly attack on a U.S. military outpost in Jordan on Sunday because the hostile drone homed in on its target at the same time an American drone was returning to the base, two U.S. officials said Monday.

The return of the American surveillance drone to the remote resupply base prompted some confusion over whether the incoming drone was friendly or not, and air defenses were not immediately activated, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an internal investigation into the matter. Two other drones that attacked other locations nearby were shot down, they added.
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I'd like to think we could do a better job telling ours from theirs. We've had IFF since, uh, WW2.

I'd love to be able to think that is how it works, in reality when looking at all of the combat since WW2, it isn't the case.... When working at one place, a TSgt and myself got into a little discussion about rules of engagement for aircraft over Vietnam, my supervisor said that one of the biggest problems was not being able to use BVR missiles until a visual ID was made of the aircraft being shot at. So we went to the Major in the front office (Vietnam F-4 pilot) and asked how often we shot our own aircraft down, his response was "all the time".

The reason (well, one of them) that B-52's don't carry a tail gun anymore ( I found this out just a few months ago) is that an F-4 wild weasel identified the guns radar as an enemy SAMs radar and fired a HARM at it, the B-52's EW defenses were able to defeat the missile,.... no one was hurt, so not newsworthy.

or

People keep on thinking of war and combat as if it were a chess game, it's not

If what was reported is correct, then they leaned to far in the don't shoot your own guy side, it'll switch now to the other side where we shoot anything.
(usually the ROE are to keep things from getting shot, it's too easy to get "deer fever", the other direction is a procedure thing as far as I know).

Remember the (ROE) Rules of engagement are made up by US, they aren't imposed by anyone in the UN or elsewhere, they are very easy to switch around if someone competent is in charge.

Thanks
Joel

 

[john8436]

a bit too high for refueling along the way

Maybe moving equipment only. The 135 went into Charleston AFB. Maybe heading that way at a later date.