Big increase in military flights

I saw that G-PRX1 Spit fly past the front window earlier today on its way from Wolverhampton to Telford hsopitals. OK, not quite ‘past’ the front window, he was at about 1500ft at the time, but the noise made me look up just the same. The schedule was a visit to the West Mids and Marches this morning, then Avon/Somerset & S Wales this afternoon.

Big Jet TV live on FB showing a U2 being loaded up at Fairford. Well worth a watch but I suggest you turn volume down so you don’t have to listen to the idiot commentating

Interesting how many non uniformed guys are hanging around the aircraft, perhaps a reflection on it being a CIA asset?

Looks like the U2 about to take off

U2 just getting readied for departure from Fairford. Big Jet TV also live on YT

B52 taxiing as well

There’s been a lot of b52 activity at Fairford, indeed three have just flown overhead post take off.

Someone’s been a naughty boy, three B52s just left Fairford in a rough formation, heading North West.  Only one of them shows up on the ADS-B site as an unidentified aircraft

Yep, saw them over Cirencester. They never appear on ADS-B, at least whenever I look for them.

This 707 with a little hat flew over after lunch, doing circuits at DSA after hanging around over the North Sea.

There’s currently two B52s doing big loops around Gloucester/Cheltenham at 10000ft. On ADS-B.

They were out by Gdansk when I looked earlier today. Been a lot of military flying across a few countries past few days.

On a side note saw a military convoy of about a dozen trucks this morning coming off the A14 a few Rapier launchers and gubbins being towed.

In the garden yesterday saw more than normal, 2 apaches, a Hercules and a lynx in 10 mins.

There was an Apache flying over Dundee on Wednesday afternoon. Never seen one over this way before, I’m guessing it was from Leuchars, did a few circuits round bottom of the Kingsway before heading off. Nice little treat as I miss the military aircraft presence that came with R.A.F Leuchars.

This is coming up:

Joint Warrior

Could be some interesting stuff appearing on the tracker. (Although stuff up here in the Highlands doesn’t tend to show up.)

Big old Antov took off from Brize Norton.

Lancaster!

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c392

Achtung! Spitfire!

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c396

Coningsby/Lincoln way, not really out and about.

Did anyone see the fleet of 9 US tankers taking off earlier? Left Mildenhall in very close convoy, flew north toward Durham then all peeled off to fly around over North Sea. It must have been some sight to see them all departing near enough on top of each other

Achtung! Spitfire!

Perhaps a photography session. Two Spitfires flying dozens of loops with another (non-BBMF) aircraft.

Boeing E-3B Sentry flying over the South East now

There’s a hawker hunter tracking near Oxford at the moment.

Saw both the BA 747’s this morning out on their last flights from Heathrow. One was doing laps of and the other had just landed at Saint Athan Airport near Cardiff

I noticed a strange flight yesterday, and it was a Border Force drone (G-TEKV), I didn’t even know they had one
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/gtekv#25b43420

Lots up in the air today!

3 35KR tankers out of Mildenhall flying towards Cornwall all 3 about 28,000ft.

Police heli circling the oil tanker off the IoW

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=400f2a

Is Trump starting his pre election shitstorm?? The three tankers are over the French coast near Marsailles followed not too far behind by a 747 E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post, all on the same bearing. God help us!!!

Three tankers also coming into Mildenhall having been into the Atlantic in the same location as the 747 E-4!!

I expect there’s been quite a bit of activity at Dorset for that SBS operation on the tanker today.

Actually that would be funny, cos likely none of the stowaways would have ever considered their arrest, would be other than a couple of London Bobbies they’ve seen on TV, only to be confronted by a team of special forces loaded for bear.
A lot of urine spilled this day I reckon.

I would think this is a would be ‘refugee’ attempt, rather than an attempt to nick it and sail it to the Caribbean.

PIRATE17 reccying invasion of Yorkshire this afternoon

https://fr24.com/PIRATE17/25ffdcc6

https://fr24.com/RRR1163/25fff622

BBMF Lancaster up over Cambridgeshire

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=407918

UK Border force drone patrolling the Channel.

Bit too addicted to ADSB-Exchange when I should be working…

1. Are the F-15s based at Mildenhall / Lakenheath or do they come over for short periods over the year? You don’t see them up often.

2. Why are there always Chinooks flying over central London, sometimes in two’s?

3. Does everyone else find it frustrating when an aircraft you’re tracking randomly disappears!?

Grew up in Lincolnshire in the 80’s, everyday you’d see lightning’s, Canberra’s, Tornadoes, A-10s, Jags and the like, I now live in South Wales which is aweful for aircraft! I’ve still never seen an actual Eurofighter in the wild!

Was also a massive fan of Mildenhall airshow in the early 90s getting signatures of the stealth fighter and Blackbird pilots, shame they’re not still going, I’d have loved to take my lads.

Pretty sure F-15’s are permanent at Mildenhall, but they don’t show up on Flight radar. They take off early, so if you’re cycling at Thetford you get an earful, and they return mid afternoon over my house.

Ah thanks, they showed today, looks like the did a pass of the Mach loop this afternoon

F-15s are Lakenheath, not Mildenhall. It’s the KC-135’s, Ospreys and varying flavours of C-130’s that are based at Mildenhall.

Yes, always get them mixed up, they’re pretty close.

I think the diference is Mildenhall is logistics, cargo, refueling etc and Lakenheath is the fighter wing with F15s and (soon) F35s; BigJetTV do frequent YouTube live streams from there, that’s also very addictive.

2. Why are there always Chinooks flying over central London, sometimes in two’s?

I think often they are heading to and from RAF Odiham near Basingstoke from Colchester and parts there about as thats where the air assault forces are based.

Thanks for the Odiham info, I always paid more attention the the Aircraft rather than the helicopters as a kid, didn’t realise they were based there