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Camouflaged Aircraft and related topics

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
After almost dying out with disestablishment of the mainstream Aggressor squadrons in the PI, England and Nellis with only a few F-16s allocated to supporting Red Flag as part of ATD, the Air Force has resurged and revived the 6th and 65th at Nellis in addition to the newly transitioned Alaska unit. Sure beats flying Predators!

800px-65th_Sqrdn_F-15_Eagle_at_Red_Flag_Alaska.jpg


An F-15 Eagle from the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., sits parked on the Eielson AFB, Alaska, flight line July 9. The 65th AGS is taking part in Red Flag-Alaska 07-3, a multi-service, multi-platform coordinated, combat operations exercise, which runs through the July 27. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Christopher Griffin)
 

A4sForever

BTDT OLD GUY
pilot
Contributor
800px-65th_Sqrdn_F-15_Eagle_at_Red_Flag_Alaska.jpg


An F-15 Eagle from the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., sits parked on the Eielson AFB, Alaska, flight line July 9....(U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Christopher Griffin)
Obviously a "nice" summer day during the 4 months of the year when it's NOT winter in AK .... :D

But riddle me this: what is the "WA" tail code on the bird?? I always thought Air Guard units were easy to identify by state with the simple expedient of looking at the tail -- i.e., in this case, "WA" would be Washington State, but we know that's not the case here.

I'm obviously missing something ....
 

raptor10

Philosoraptor
Contributor
Obviously a "nice" summer day during the 4 months of the year when it's NOT winter in AK .... :D

But riddle me this: what is the "WA" tail code on the bird?? I always thought Air Guard units were easy to identify by state with the simple expedient of looking at the tail -- i.e., in this case, "WA" would be Washington State, but we know that's not the case here.

I'm obviously missing something ....
It's an aggressor bird, so maybe they are pretending to be the enemy??? :D
 

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Obviously a "nice" summer day during the 4 months of the year when it's NOT winter in AK .... :D


No kidding, I was surprised to read tag line and thought there had to be a mistake

But riddle me this: what is the "WA" tail code on the bird?? I always thought Air Guard units were easy to identify by state with the simple expedient of looking at the tail -- i.e., in this case, "WA" would be Washington State, but we know that's not the case here.

I'm obviously missing something ....

They're active duty and from 57th (Composite) Wing at Nellis. They all use black and yellow checkerboard markings and WA as their tailcode. Here's a nifty site that allows you to input Air Force (and other) tailcodes and it shows you which units use them.
 
B

Blutonski816

Guest

But riddle me this: what is the "WA" tail code on the bird??

My friend's dad who was an Intel O with the 57th @ Nellis some years back told me it was used because of its association with the AF's WeApons School...

and my contribution to the thread...
This was a pic I snapped, taken at (you guessed it) Nellis in March '06.
100_0308-1.jpg
 

A4sForever

BTDT OLD GUY
pilot
Contributor
My friend's dad who was an Intel O with the 57th @ Nellis some years back told me it was used because of its association with the AF's WeApons School...

and my contribution to the thread...
This was a pic I snapped, taken at (you guessed it) Nellis in March '06.
100_0308-1.jpg
Sounds like a good explanation to me ... kinda blows my whole time-tested theory @ how I identify Air Guard units -- but then again, mebbe not -- as these aren't Guard -- they're active.
 

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Aggressors in Alaska

Here's a more recent shot of the recently transitioned Aggressors on the job in Alaska with an appropriate (easier to decipher) tailcode

18thAGRS.jpg


USAF photo
 

Mumbles

Registered User
pilot
Contributor
The Swedes used to use this pretty funky scheme....but it makes sense with the heavily wooded terrain the Viggens would be flying over.

viggen.jpg
 

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Ambush camo

Trio of VFC-12 F/A-18Cs earlier today at NAS Oceana

Ambushtrio.jpg


Photo by HJ
 

HeyJoe

Fly Navy! ...or USMC
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Is the blivet the baggage pod? If so, what's the big deal about each aircraft having his own? Does the Navy/MC do XCs differently?

Classic Air Force (no slight intended as I've heard this before):....you mean you don't have your own? Doesn't everyone?

We never had ONE, there was a coverted drop that was passed around from squadron to squadrn. Same thing with CATMs. In high tempo DACT during FFARP (now SFARP), sometimes jets had to taxi in from prior hop and ordies would grab CATMs and load while you were waiting to go up to last minute. We had to become expert at packing things behind ejection seat under canopy (until two guys were killed in a horrific inadvertant ejection incident).
 
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