Anyone know what kind of Airplane this is?

And just what is it doing?



My father built military aircraft for what is now Boeing, and he taught me how to identify aircraft by there silhouette, but I don't have a clue as to what kind this is or what it's doing?

I didn't take this photo, but I think I have saw this type of aircraft doing what it's doing in the photo.

Its a Boeing C-135 derivative but the question now is what type?


I do not see a boom so that precludes the KC-135
Im not seeing the side bulges just aft of the nose so Im pretty sure its not an JC / RC-135 and the wing tip pods seem much bigger than the antennas on that type of aircraft.

Im going to go out on a limb and say its a KC-135 that in use by a European country (France most likely) and the pods on the wingtip hold the drogue for refueling.


Edit: given the location its dumping fuel IMHO.


[edit on 4/25/08 by FredT]

How low can a KC-135 go?

www.patricksaviation.com...



[edit on 4/25/08 by FredT]

Doesn't look like a KC-135, that I've seen. I thought I had some pictures on this machine of the KC-135 that I took at the air show last year, but I don't seem to. Will have to compare the two when I get back on the laptop.

That video Fred, that's absolutely insane...that's not human!!!

reply to post by FredT


That's one mad dog pilot

Darn them Frenchies.

reply to post by Shugo



Its for sure not a USAF KC-135 but perhaps its a French one. The NATO ones have both, buit I cannot make out a boom on that picture

Thats an Airbus A380 and I'm guessing its dumping fuel for some reason.

Could be testing... A check, C check maintenance?
Might have been diverted and had to dump weight to land?
Could be a contrail where the PACS vent out?

Definitely a A380 though.

reply to post by Nemithesis


Are you sure its an A380? It does not have the pods / fairings at the end of the wings for the flap actuators etc. And the wing box is way different

Looks to me like a KC-135R (because of the big turbofans) but I can't find any pics of a US -135 variant with wingtip pods like that.

I think maybe it's a French KC-135R dumping fuel.

Originally posted by xmotex
Looks to me like a KC-135R (because of the big turbofans) but I can't find any pics of a US -135 variant with wingtip pods like that.

I think maybe it's a French KC-135R dumping fuel.

Thats what I surmised above I just cannot make out the boom under the tail.

No, it is categorically NOT an A380, nor is it any other type of aeroplane that is unrelated to the Boeing 707 (the wing planform is unmistakeable) , the question is what model?

That is easily answered, the only model of the 707 family with CFM-56's and wing pods without a refuelling boom or a big radar dish is the US Navy's E-6B TACAMO. That is what you are looking at here. This is not a guess.

I do agree however that it is venting fuel from the inboard wing tanks, a common enough practice with all aircraft types. No doubt the more paranoid among us will scream "chemtrail", but you wouldn't expect anything less would you?



E-6B picture

[edit on 25-4-2008 by waynos]

reply to post by waynos


Nice one

My mind never wandered over to the E-6

Yep that's got to be it.

Good work Waynos

Cheers, I'm just relieved I finally got to 'do one', Bozeian and Wombat usually get there first

That doesn't look anything like the pictures of any A380's I've seen..

farm1.static.flickr.com...

farm3.static.flickr.com...

farm2.static.flickr.com...

farm1.static.flickr.com...


The fins are missing from the back of the wings for one, and the A380 doesn't have the round pod-like structure at each wing tip - the A380 has vertical fins...

Also, the A380 has a completely different structure where the wings join the fuselage..

In fact, I'd go as far as saying that the only thing has in common with an A380 is that it's also a passenger jet configuration..


Edit: too slow..



[edit on 25-4-2008 by Stoo]

reply to post by Stoo


Yes, that'll be because its a Boeing E-6

edit, I see you noticed, thats what happens when you are searching before you post

[edit on 25-4-2008 by waynos]

*nod*

my ADSL decided to fall over halfway through looking for the images as well lol

reply to post by waynos


Nice job, I'm convinced!

Thanks for the replies, and FredT I was going in the same direction that you were, the next step would have been to start pulling out hair.

I hate that picture so much. It's the most commonly claimed picture of a chemtrail plane.

On an amusing note, the Navy screwed them up royally. They are having issues with wing stress, because they put the HF antennas on the bottom of the wingtips, instead of the top. When someone mentioned that to them, their response (I kid you not) was that they talk to submarines with the E-6B, and they're below them, so the antenna needs to be on the bottom of the wing. The only problem is that HF signals go up before going down. Gotta love the Navy.