US aircraft deployed to the Korean theater

I have seen recent activity lately from the Air Force base nearby. I live in Niagara Falls and there is a squadron stationed there that is basically air re fueling transports and some other larger transport planes. On Sunday they were flying around the area. I haven't seen them that active since after 911 when they started to invade Afghanistan and Iraq...Anyone else who lives near a base notice a jump in activity lately??? Not liking the feeling I'm getting here.....

reply to post by ARNOMANNN

I've been seeing increased activity here too. I'm not even that close to an air base, but close enough that we see them on occasion. Pretty rare normally, but this last week they seem to be pretty busy.

I haven't had a good feeling since the E-6s were deployed. Any time an E-6 or E-4 is involved I get nervous about it. Either of those are bad news to have in the area.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Hi Zaphod,

How do you know that/ when these were deployed? Do you have source at all?

I only ask cos I'm interested in looking into these a bit more.

Also are the US's entire fleet of e-6's based at Tinker? And do you know if any of them have been affected by the sequestration?

Thanks,

reply to post by Reaper62


There is a website that is a public source that records various tower communications. He recorded the tower at Tinker talking to a pair of E-6Bs, and saying something to the effect of "See you in a few weeks. Try to stay in one piece." There are very few areas that an E-6 would be used that we are currently in, and North Korea is the only one that makes sense. They never explicitly said "Guam" or "North Korea", but the process of elimination rules out Afghanistan/Iraq, because there's no need for them there. They usually don't deploy in pairs for training missions.

They're all homed at Tinker AFB, but they deploy through Offut AFB in Nebraska, and various other bases. As far as I know they haven't been hit by sequestration, but the Navy hasn't announced what squadrons if any are. The Air Force got hammered, and the E-3s were hit, as well as the RC-135s.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Cool cheers for that mate.

I just read this as well in relation to the B-1's;

theaviationist.com...

reply to post by Reaper62


I saw that, but it makes absolutely no sense. If that's the case, why didn't the Dyess source say "They came back?" Clearances, and flight plans are pretty much worth the paper they're written on (they're all done digitally now). All they have to do is change their flight plan enroute, or even go VFR and pretend to be something totally different (like Air Force One did when Bush went to Afghanistan for Thanksgiving). There are so many ways to fake a paper trail like that it's not funny.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by Reaper62

 

I saw that, but it makes absolutely no sense. If that's the case, why didn't the Dyess source say "They came back?" Clearances, and flight plans are pretty much worth the paper they're written on (they're all done digitally now). All they have to do is change their flight plan enroute, or even go VFR and pretend to be something totally different (like Air Force One did when Bush went to Afghanistan for Thanksgiving). There are so many ways to fake a paper trail like that it's not funny.

Exactly I totally agree, which makes me think it was done on purpose to throw people off the trail. instead of wanting korea to know the lancers were coming like the report suggests, i would guess they actually dont want people to think they are taking more direct action agaist DPRK incase people start panicking, or the media take it out of proportion, or Korea themselves feel threatened. It would be good if we could get some sort of visual confirmation if they were still at the base or not, cos I don't reckon they will be. Surely the US want to keep their options open if SHTF, and B1's are a good tool to have at your disposal should you need them! It makes perfect sense to me to deploy them, why wouldn't you?
And why would they fly a round trip like that as a 7 ship? training? keeping their hours up? They wouldn't fly all together surely. Besides, i thought under the sequestration thing pretty much all usaf activity bar the most vital flights were being put on hold anyway.

reply to post by Reaper62


Two were flying spares. They flew to the first AR point, and once the ones going on took fuel on, and ensured everything was working, the two returned to Dyess. If any of the ones going on had problems, one of those two would take their place, and the broken one would return to Dyess.

But the five traveling together, I've never heard of. When we had multiples come in, they'd come in over the course of a couple of hours, maybe half an hour to 45 minutes apart from each other. They'd fly in, near each other, but not together (usually about the same distance apart as they were at landing). This is the first I've ever heard of a group taking off as a flight.

Currently on watch (flying near North Korea waiting for the missile launch), we have:

An unknown number of RC-12X Guardrail aircraft, from Osan.

RC-12X

Also from Osan (although it stationed permanently at Beale AFB) the U-2S Dragon Lady.

U-2S

Flying out of Kadena is the RC-135S Cobra Ball II (mentioned in the OP), which tracks reentry and warheads during the final phase of flight (even have the tail number for it 62-4128 45th Reconnaissance Squadron/55th Wing).

With the RC-135S, are two RC-135W SIGINT aircraft (62-4126 and 62-4130 of the 38th RS/55th Wing). Interestingly the RAF will be taking delivery soon of several RC-135W aircraft, and have several crews flying with the 55th.

RC-135W

At Kadena is an EP-3E (157316) ARIES II, and E-8 J-STARS (99-0006), and a WC-135W Constant Pheonix (61-2667 [a sister ship to one of the aircraft stationed at Hickam that flew both CINCPACAF and CINCPACFLT around until the early 1990s]). The WC-135 is capable of taking air samples, and detecting radioactivity in the air to check if a nuclear weapon was detonated.

EP-3E

E-8 J-STARS

WC-135W Constant Pheonix

This video purports to be of one of the B-2's that recently participated in war games in SK.

B-2 Strike Force Flyby

If I saw that flying overhead and I was one of the bad guys I would feel very very afraid. You can't really understand how epic some of our military hardware is. Merely watching some of these planes flyover you can make you feel very insignificant all of a sudden. I never want to imagine what being on the receiving end of modern air power would feel like.

reply to post by Zaphod58


Ah i remember when we used to send our VC-10s with air sampling pods to kadena to do the same thing. Their retirement has now been postponed until september but im gutted theyre gonna be gone after that. Stupid tory government.

Anyway i was gonna say our latest visiting U-2s departed this morning, 80-1071, 80-1073, heading south east. Im still trying to find out if they have any part in the asia thing. Im guessing not but they aint flying around for fun are they.

They never come back this way either, so they must go through asia on their way home anyway

Originally posted by Reaper62
reply to post by Zaphod58

 

our latest visiting U-2s departed this morning, 80-1071, 80-1073,

Correction, 71 is still here, and we have 80-1094 as well, with another one due in tomorrow or Sat, so we have 4 dragons. That's definitely not normal!

reply to post by Reaper62


Yeah, I don't think I've heard of four in one location in a long time. And usually just when they're replacing the ones on station, even then it's rare. Usually they try to replace them one at a time, that way they keep one pilot familiar with the area on hand, to show the new guy the ropes before he goes home.

God I love this bomber.....Some of the older aircraft are the best!!!






If this aircraft is deployed NK really has a problem....

Originally posted by GuidedKill
If this aircraft is deployed NK really has a problem....

A-10s are permanently stationed at Osan Air Base in Korea.

reply to post by Zaphod58


As I really expected them to be. No better tank/personel buster in the world....