Saw something strange today

Not sure about "aircraft", but I'm pretty sure it was Air Force, so I'm putting this here.

Driving down the highway today and I see these OTR tractors pulling these sloped flatbed trailers with these large containers shaped kind of like long pyramids (in a Washington Monument kid of way). The trailers were specially adapted for these containers. The looked like long green corrogated steel shipping containers, but tapered, with a yellow AF logo on the back side (the new logo).

The trailers and the containers definitely looked military. Oversized loads too. The trailers were flatbed low boys sort of, with the wheels recessed up under the sides of the trailers. All looked brand spanking new. Tractors were just regular OTR heavy haul tractors, contract carriers. There were four of them, all together.

Any idea about what I observed? Never saw anything like these before.

I see that kind of convoy out of Greenville Texas....E Systems

Buy not the roof shape trailer....mus b special....

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
I saw something like that back in 2009 or so. They were on the interstate and had a sizable police escort. I have no idea what it was all about.

Saw two trains in the last three weeks carrying airplane bodies wrapped in some sort of green protection. Each one fit on an open bed rail car. I'm pretty sure they were 737 bodies.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Could be wrong, but I think that's how they transport nuclear warheads. From what I understand, for whatever reason, they move them around quite regularly. Maybe they do that to maintain inventory and to discourage theft.

The containers were about 16' square at the base and about 8-10' square at the top. They were about 60-65' long. Military green in color and not a lot of other markings than just the small logo at the back.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

look anything like this?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Get Zaphod on the phone, he would know the score.

I don't know but personally I would say a UAV or some other form of automaton, however if you lived near the Tonapah Test Range I would be asking questions.

I am kind of curious now, so just tagging this to follow later.

I would think most black projects go in a C5 wouldn't they?

Not nukes. I see nuke convoys on I-20 sometimes and they are just a normal looking tractor-trailer with black suburbans and black communications style trucks bristling with antennas tagging along. Sometimes State Troopers, sometimes not.

Look anything like this?

a reply to: Zaphod58

What's in there Zaph?

a reply to: Woody510

Minuteman maintenance trailer. Can be used to do on site maintenance, or move the missile if utter needs to be transported.

Minuteman Maintenance Squadron

a reply to: Zaphod58

The container was actually tapered on all sides, small end at the front large end at the rear . The trailer was probably (4) axles (maybe 5) (duals). The interesting thing was the trailer tires were tucked up under the side rail of the trailer. And, the tractors weren't anything special that I could see, look liked regular KW and Pete heavy haulers with a 3rd lift axle which was down under the load. They didn't have twin steering axles like the pic. Just a single, but they did have the heavy front ends on them with the bigger tires.

The container on the back of the trailer was about 1' off the ground (if that). The containers were equally tapered on all sides and they finished on an almost point (above the 8x8 section I referred to above). Honestly, the containers looked just like a green Washington Monument laying on their sides (albeit much smaller at only 65' feet or so long).

I assume the trailers were designed the way they were to keep them under bridge height. They weren't escorted and they didn't have any pilots. Just (4) trucks running down the road with these big green containers on them.

The trailers looked pretty beefy, like they might have had some big hydraulic cylinders in the frames. The frames were probably 18" +/- in depth (structural member parts), plus the deck. The decks looked very specialized like they may have been rail frames, or some kind of a highly adapted trailer. Each trailer was exactly the same. These were not winch trucks with something winched up over a tail roll. There were no straps or binders, so I'm assuming the containers were actually somehow part of the trailer.

ETA - The trailers didn't have any ladders (that I could see). They just looked like long tapered shipping containers with military markings.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

They could have been just about anything. Weapons containers, UAVs, electronics such as radar sets....

a reply to: Zaphod58

Sure, I suppose.

I just thought it was weird about the shape. They seemed very purpose built. Why not stick whatever it was inside a regular (albeit long) shipping container. At least they could be stacked then; there wasn't any stacking going to happen with these containers. Judging by the number of axles on the trailers, I'm guessing they were pretty heavy too.

Something just occurred to me that I hadn't remembered until now.

The USAF logo on the side faced sideways with the top facing the fronts of the trailers...meaning these things must stand up vertically on the back (which would orient the logo properly).

ETA - Oh and BTW, I guess the correct description of the shape was "obelisk" shaped (in case anyone is interested).

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Because the container is designed to protect whatever is in it. It was purpose built for whatever it is, which is easier than modifying an existing container.