Sticky Thread For Mid-Atlantic MilAir 2021

[mdmonitor]

09:06 - I’m 95% sure I just heard COUGAR11 on 277.6 anyone with possible info please let me know.
MISTY MOAs are active right now, anyone know who usually uses them?

Here's what I have for COUGAR:

COUGAR C-130 463rd AG 41st AS AR ANG Little Rock AR
COUGAR EA-18G VAQ-139, NAS Whidbey Island, WA
COUGAR CF-18 CANFORCE 4TH WING/410 TS CFB COLD LAKE
COUGAR Hawker Hunter working at ATAC Savannah GA
COUGAR C-21A 457th AS Joint Base Andrews MD
COUGAR MC-12W, Beale AFB CA
COUGAR F-22 Joint Base Langley-Eustis VA

 

[GriffissSpotter]

Here's what I have for COUGAR:

COUGAR C-130 463rd AG 41st AS AR ANG Little Rock AR
COUGAR EA-18G VAQ-139, NAS Whidbey Island, WA
COUGAR CF-18 CANFORCE 4TH WING/410 TS CFB COLD LAKE
COUGAR Hawker Hunter working at ATAC Savannah GA
COUGAR C-21A 457th AS Joint Base Andrews MD
COUGAR MC-12W, Beale AFB CA
COUGAR F-22 Joint Base Langley-Eustis VA

Thank you! The comms are very muffled and hard to understand, I have no idea why.

 

[bruinsaviator]

Just a heads up, there was Growler activity out of KBED yesterday with VADER11 of VAQ-209. Wouldn't be surprised if other Growlers were in the area.

 

[AirScan]

09:06 - I’m 95% sure I just heard COUGAR11 on 277.6 anyone with possible info please let me know.
MISTY MOAs are active right now, anyone know who usually uses them?

I've only heard 277.600 mentioned once, this was on March 25th with HELLCAT 11 flight after they were cleared into VIPER and LIGHTNING, went tactical with push 277.600. Here is link to the audio (LiveATC archives).

In the past I have heard SYR Drones get clearance into the MISTY. At 10:10 not getting anything here on 277.600.

I'm not sure who COUGAR 11 is ? I'll pull up some ZBW archives from this morning and see if I can find them ?

 

[AirScan]

I'll pull up some ZBW archives from this morning and see if I can find them ?

Between 0800-1000 the only traffic heard on ZBW (08/09) into Viper were the usual drones, Python, Cobra, Apex, all cleared to work in the Viper All FL190-FL210. No Cougar callsign was heard. I'm wondering if it is a tactical callsign used by the drones only during their exercise ?

 

[jetcrafter]

08:25 - Picked up a strong signal but very muffled and unreadable comms on 277.6, I have that as a second VT F-35 freq but the jets are not supposed to be in VIPER today. I experienced this a few days ago and I know that is wasn't the VT F-35s.

Edit at 08:55 - Lots of comms on 277.6, can't clearly tell exactly what they are talking about but I can say it kind of sounds like some of the stuff the 174th ATKW drones say.
Does anyone know if 277.6 is used by any fighter squadrons or drone squadrons that are either based or frequently train in the Northeast?

277.6 is a NORAD/Huntress freq. Not specific to any one squadron as far as I know.

 

[AirScan]

277.6 is a NORAD/Huntress freq. Not specific to any one squadron as far as I know.

Ed, I'm not a member of that northeast Facebook group. Do you know if anyone there would have a current list of VT ANG F-35 A-A freqs ? So far I've heard 314.400 and 226.800 in use. When going tactical I've heard them push CH13, CH14, CH17(Aux). 13 is probably 314.400 or maybe 226.300, hard to pin down.

 

[GriffissSpotter]

277.6 is a NORAD/Huntress freq. Not specific to any one squadron as far as I know.

I live about 10 miles from Griffiss, the site of the Eastern Air Defense Sector, and I was getting a fairly strong signal, so it could very well be Huntress.

 

[jetcrafter]

Ed, I'm not a member of that northeast Facebook group. Do you know if anyone there would have a current list of VT ANG F-35 A-A freqs ? So far I've heard 314.400 and 226.800 in use. When going tactical I've heard them push CH13, CH14, CH17(Aux). 13 is probably 314.400 or maybe 226.300, hard to pin down.

I'm not a member of that group either. Tried once, got rejected! I can say from my own personal listening here in Maine, since they moved to the F-35 most of my old freqs are not being used especially all the VHF freqs they used with the F-16s. Over here in Yankee MOA, they use 238.25 for conflict/simulated Darkstar/de-conflict within the airspaces. In Condor MOA 261.8 The most frequently used I've heard are 314.4 and 226.3 and some other NORAD freqs you've heard over that way. A couple freqs heard in April of 2020 are 251.25 and 256.5 They still use 349.7 (heard here a couple days ago in Laser East ATCAA) and their old 395.15 is still heard once in awhile as well.

Hope this helps. 90% of my old F-16 freqs are no longer being used!

 

[AirScan]

The most frequently used I've heard are 314.4 and 226.3 and some other NORAD freqs you've heard over that way. A couple freqs heard in April of 2020 are 251.25 and 256.5 They still use 349.7 (heard here a couple days ago in Laser East ATCAA) and their old 395.15 is still heard once in awhile as well.

Thanks very helpful. Interesting that you can hear them on 226.300 as this appears to be the Viper Common frequency. So they must be using it in other areas or you have very good reception capabilities ?

 

[mdmonitor]

U.S. Navy completes effectiveness test of new radio frequency countermeasure

The U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command announced on 9 April that an Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20 P-8A Poseidon successfully completed an airworthiness test of a pod-mounted radio frequency countermeasure (RFCM) prototype at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD)...

defence-blog.com

Hard to make out the last digit on the nose number but looks to me to be 953 (167953)

Russia scrambles fighter jet against RC-135W Rivet Joint spy plane

A Russian MiG-31 (NATO reporting name: Foxhound) fighter jet intercepted a U.S. Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint strategic reconnaissance aircraft over the Pacific Ocean in the Kamchatka region, Russia’s National Defense Control Center reported on Friday. “Russian airspace control systems detected...

defence-blog.com

U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft caught fire on runway

A U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft caught fire on the runway at the Joint Base Charleston Friday afternoon. In a release late Friday, Joint Base Charleston (JBC) said that there were no injuries following an incident involving an aircraft. JBC officials did not specify...

defence-blog.com

 

[jetcrafter]

Thanks very helpful. Interesting that you can hear them on 226.300 as this appears to be the Viper Common frequency. So they must be using it in other areas or you have very good reception capabilities ?

They've used 226.3 and 226.8 over here as well. Sometimes I don't think they stick to MOA specific freqs. Anything is at their disposal to use.

I can't hear too well to the West as there is a hill at the end of my street that kills most comms beyond the VT area for me.

 

[GriffissSpotter]

Anyone know who GAMBIT is? I just heard them talking to MOJO85 on the possible Huntress freq 277.6.

13:33 Edit at COUGAR11 talking again, this time with GAMBIT again. COUGAR11 asked if MOJO85 was established in MADDOG. COUGAR11 is requesting refuel as they are low on fuel. Very strong signal and I can hear comms most of the time very clearly.
13:37: GAMBIT instructing COUGAR11 to call visual with MOJO85
13:43: MOJO85 sounds like a tanker that is refueling COUGAR11; MOJO85 heading towards LUKA

 

[mdmonitor]

1320- Venus 01 (VC-25 # 82-8000) doing some pattern work at ADW.

1345- The Golden Knights Dash-6 (# 10-80264) is at Leesburg Executive Airport.

 

[mdmonitor]

1345- The Golden Knights Dash-6 (# 10-80264) is departing Leesburg Executive Airport.

1348- Hoser 12 (KC-135R # 62-3544 AE05A7 108th ARW) pattern work at DOV then heading back to McGuire.

1350- Reach 01 (KC-46 # 17-46025 AE5E06) & Reach 02 (KC-46 # 15-46011AE5751) off ADW heading northeast. Working ZDC Kenton (132.05) advising they are switching to Giantkiller (238.1). Looks like they are heading for W386.

 

[AirScan]

COUGAR11 asked if MOJO85 was established in MADDOG. COUGAR11 is requesting refuel as they are low on fuel. Very strong signal and I can hear comms most of the time very clearly.

Interesting. I'm not getting anything up here on 277.600. I do hear a sort of chirping beeping sound on 315.000, some sort of datalink ? (or some weird internal interference on my SDR ?).

 

[AirScan]

COUGAR11 is requesting refuel as they are low on fuel. Very strong signal and I can hear comms most of the time very clearly.

Nothing showing up on ADSB-X. Does it sounds like it could be helicopters or turboprops ?

 

[GriffissSpotter]

Nothing showing up on ADSB-X. Does it sounds like it could be helicopters or turboprops ?

Could be but I don't hear anything in the background that would make me think it would be turboprops or helicopters.
I also just heard SHELL (possibly)33 call RTB, however it kind of sounded like GAMBIT said DELL so I don't know for sure.

 

[AirScan]

I also just heard SHELL (possibly)33 call RTB, however it kind of sounded like GAMBIT said DELL so I don't know for sure.

Are you scanning Wheeler Sack Approach 257.600 ?

And these, not sure how accurate - 233.700 (Base Ops), 319.250 (Flight Following), 347.700 (Range).

 

[mdmonitor]

1428- Reach 01 flt working on discrete (312.2) w/Actor 11 flt (unid ftrs). Reach 01 flt advises they will be splitting up with Reach 02 being the trail tanker.

1450- Reach 01 flt working Giantkiller (118.125) advises they will be RTB direct ADW after they finish in W386.