Strange object followed by Jet

a reply to: Grenade

Most missions would be launching aircraft to other bases, like they do with the Middle East. They’ll deploy from Lakenheath to bases closer and fly from there. In the more rare cases of strikes from UK bases that go directly to the target, they’re coordinated with the MoD, and whatever countries that they’ll overfly. There’s a lot of coordination involved, so it’s not something that’s going to happen quickly. And it gets more fun when countries deny overflight permission, like in El Dorado Canyon in 1986.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I accept what you say.

To be clear, however, armed aircraft do fly from US bases in the UK, and therefore there must be US munitions stored at the bases.

news.sky.com...

a reply to: Doxanoxa

Which is why I said they're armed in specific circumstances. They don't keep QRA forces there, or intercept aircraft. That's the responsibility of the RAF. There have been a few strikes flown out of the UK, but usually if the F-15s are heading to combat, they deploy from there to another base, and fly their missions from there. They still do have to train with both inert and live munitions which are kept on the base.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Could they have been training to test the effectiveness of new technology? I swear whatever I saw was a strange sight, very diffuse and hard to determine shape, altitude or speed. I have extremely sharp eyesight, I had a test a few years back due to some medical issues and from memory it was 20/14, the ophthalmologist was actually amazed and had me try from a further distance, I was unable to determine any features on this object.

a reply to: Grenade

You’d be amazed at how hard it is to pick out aircraft, and detail at distance. I’ve watched a few hundred planes over a couple years, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve known exactly where it was, using a tracker, gone outside, and haven’t seen a thing. This includes C-5s, which you’d think would be pretty easy to find being so big.

I agree, just checked my files, my visual acuity was 20/14, generally I can make out details on aircraft and spot them pretty well, hence I made a thread for the first time in 18 years as a member questioning something in the sky. My eyesight would shock you. As an example I had a whole team at work gather round a building plan using their iPhones zoom to confirm I was reading directly from the plan as they didn’t believe I could make out the text, I could see from 6 feet what they couldn’t at all. If there’s ever an ATS meet-up I’ll be happy to provide proof.

I guess ill never know.

Again, thanks for the education.

a reply to: Grenade

The thing is that no matter how good your eyesight is, and mine is damn good, you’re looking for a very small target, in a very big sky, and that target is painted in a way that makes it blend in. And if it’s the size of a helicopter, it’s an even smaller target. Add in clouds and reduced visibility and it gets harder.

a reply to: Grenade

I remember seeing something about a V-22 Osprey crashing yesterday.

a reply to: carewemust

In California. It was the day before yesterday actually.

Amazing how these UFOs are sometimes able to cloak themselves to appear exactly like a smudge on a piece of glass. Rascals!

a reply to: baggy7981

I can assure you it was in the sky.

After checking my camera it turns out i have something called live mode.

Here is the first and last frame from those shots, taken less than a second apart.





Hopefully that shows it was moving among the clouds.

Believe what you like

a reply to: baggy7981

To help alleviate your scepticism i searched through every photo i snapped with one hand while driving and found this among an image taken 3 seconds earlier.

Love to know how i managed to get the smudge on the glass partially blocked by the tree.

Its more than that!

spam

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Doxanoxa

Which is why I said they're armed in specific circumstances. They don't keep QRA forces there, or intercept aircraft. That's the responsibility of the RAF. There have been a few strikes flown out of the UK, but usually if the F-15s are heading to combat, they deploy from there to another base, and fly their missions from there. They still do have to train with both inert and live munitions which are kept on the base.

I know this is a week old now, but I can back this up. I was stationed at Lakenheath from 04-07, back when they had Cs, Ds, and Es. They would go up with inert munitions. A guy like me, who was just POL, honestly fueling thousands of aircraft every year, I stopped looking at their munitions, so I have no idea if I ever refueled one in a rare instance where it was about to go on an actual armed mission. I doubt it. I know some people are probably like "how could you not know?" Simple, I was a young A1C. Not only did I not know anything, I didn't even know what questions to ask, or if I was allowed to ask questions.

When I went to Qatar in 2005, some of our Lakenheath 15s were there. Those ones would go on actual combat missions. I have no idea where, I imagine to Iraq and Afghanistan. I had a flag flown in one for my parents.

I was also stationed at Elmendorf from 14-16. They had alert 22s. Totally different atmosphere. They were scrambling practically once a week to go intercept the Ruskies (not intercept as in engage, as I'm sure you know. Just to shadow them and make sure they weren't being bold.) And because of our lousy manning at the time, I was still getting to go out and refuel planes, as an E-6. My last refuel before I got medically retired was a 22, although not one of the alert birds. Was so cool to get to work with them.