Big increase in military flights

Thanks for posting the Buffs landing in a crosswind, shows the advantage they have with the in-line u/c, all the wheels can be steered, so it can handle quite an oblique approach angle. It was making the wings flex quite a bit, too!

I haven’t checked out ATS-B lately, must have a shufti.

Switching the U off and seeing all the planes diverting round the Ukraine airspace plus some shows the airlines are not taking risks this time.

Hmmm, just a bit…

Having just zoomed back in to the area around Fairford, I’ve noticed the Buffs are heading back after drawing a cat’s-cradle all over Caithness, one has the callsign Fear32

Interesting, the other Buff was on a different mission, although I’ve only got a partial track, it was out over Cambridgeshire, callsign Fear31

I heard it from my home – very noisy!

Probably just a standard training exercise but I live a couple of miles from the dundrennan live firing range in SW Scotland and the amount of troops and heavy equipment that are in the area is rather large, quite a few helicopters buzzing around as well.

Spotted a C-5M Super Galaxy south of Greenland, from Rammstein AF Base in Germany. Wonder what that was dropping off…?

Interesting, the other Buff was on a different mission

There are four here at the moment so its probably a pair for each track. Military will sometimes only have the lead plane turn on the beacon.

The first video showed just how dirty the old turbo-jets are, they won’t be as smokey and noisy for very much longer – Rolls Royce America have won a contract to replace all the engines on the B-52 fleet with engines used in smaller civilian and military aircraft, apparently they fit perfectly into the nacelles on the Buff, and are a lot more efficient and powerful, which is going to extend their operational life-span even more, possibly another twenty-odd years! The bloody things could easily be a century old and still operational. 😳

Notice a lot of the civi aircraft flying over Russia are registered in Bermuda

Two of the B52s passed near by over lunchtime, didn’t hear them. But were out over the Moray Firth then heading home.

Wonder what the US plane at 53000 ft near the Ukraine border is?

Notice a lot of the civi aircraft flying over Russia are registered in Bermuda

A lot of Aeroflot’s leased aircraft are indeed registered in Bermuda. These aircraft belong to the lessors, and it’s for them to decide where to register.

Many / all of these aircraft are likely to be sanctioned so will be heading back to the lessors by the end of the month.

Not sure where that leaves the Aeroflot fleet in terms of true long-range aircraft like the 777-300.

Just found a good link, with ref to Bermuda at the bottom of the article.

Russian aircraft leases

Wonder what the US plane at 53000 ft near the Ukraine border is?

It’s a Global Hawk drone, it’s been up all afternoon.

I was in the Lakes last week and saw 3 Typhoons and 5 F15s(I think) in a convoy. I don’t normally see that many, perhaps the occasional Typhoon or occasional training jet..

Pair of B52s departing over the Humber now, 9.38

A400M dropping off kit ?
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Busy morning in skies around Ukraine:

Pair of B52:
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US Rivet:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae01d1

US Super hercules
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=45f42b

Ukranian Antonovs:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=50801c
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=508003

Indian Globemaster:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=800795

US Stratotanker:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae05b1

CFC4220 from Prestwick to Zagreb https://fr24.com/CFC4220/2b051c61

Another pair of stratotankers south of ukraine:
https://www.flightradar24.com/LAGR230/2b04b557
https://www.flightradar24.com/LAGR250/2b04c72d

Boeing RC-135U Combat Sent:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae01d5

CFC4221 from Prestwick https://fr24.com/CFC4221/2b052979

US Artemis:
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Globalhawk:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5420

Blackhawk:
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I thought Russian planes were banned from European airspace?

https://www.flightradar24.com/AFL7031/2b0544b0

2 x B52s near the Ukraine border just switched their transponders off.

Romanian Drone (switched its transponder on over the black sea):
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=4a35fa

US Osprey:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae4ece

Australian Globemaster:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=7cf9c4

Hubgarian Globemaster:
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2 x B52s near the Ukraine border just switched their transponders off.

Hopefully to bomb the shizzle out that 40 mile Russian convoy

I thought Russian planes were banned from European airspace?

Looks like he was just heading home tbf. Might’ve been stuck there for some reason

Whats doimg racetracks just east of Warsaw?

That looks to be the Globalhawk.

Joined by EC 3 sentry now as well
Luxembourg registered, who knew…..

Luxembourg often had their sentry flying even way before the Ukrainian conflict.

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Saw this on Twitter; Ilyushin from the Russian presidential fleet has been given special permission, having avoided European airspace, to collect expelled diplomats..

Luxembourg often had their sentry flying even way before the Ukrainian conflict.

They are 14 which belong to nato. They got registered to Luxembourg since they dont have their own airforce.

Blackhawk in Poland
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I always bear in mind the B1-B’s NEVER appear on Flightradar etc. even when you could physically see them.

Has anyone noticed that commercial airlines appear to have stopped or greatly reduced using the northerly great circle route to North America? Was in the garden (Tyne & Wear) all day yesterday and everything from Europe that was heading to the states was routing directly overhead.

They are 14 which belong to nato. They got registered to Luxembourg since they dont have their own airforce.

I never knew that, thanks. Often wondered why a country like Luxembourg would have them.

Not military, but check out the Japanair/JL43 routing over Alaska and Northern Greenland for Heathrow to avoid Russian airspace. Interesting re-route. Wonder what the extra track mileage is, or is it similar, just a less flight planned route (for obvious ditching reasons).

It’s not always easy to identify jets by their sound, but I can generally be fairly certain when an F-15 Eagle is around, they’re a deeper, more rumbling sort of sound, and last Friday I could hear one overhead, but it seemed to be circling, so I checked ADS-B to see what it was up to:

it seemed to be drawing pretty patterns, so I kept an eye on it. By the time it upped sticks and left for home at Lakenheath, it had created a veritable cats-cradle over part of Salisbury Plain, which leads me to believe it was working with army in some manner.

Checking tracking radar fire control system maybe, or infra red guided portable weapons.
Could have been a laser targeted designator test. Although i would have expected more compact area for that.
The Luxembourg airforce up at the polish border again today keeping an eye on the ruskis.
Kc135 stratotanker also transition through the area, no visable hook ups though.