Odd traffic over Norfolk tonight
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Odd traffic over Norfolk tonight
2140 tonight and I'm in the garden with the dog in Downham Market. A normal looking KC-135 trundles over at about 3000ft, inbound to Mildenhall, I guess. But shortly after, what is clearly a mil fast jet passes over at about 2000ft, heading about 150, with no lights whatsoever. Could only see an indistinct shape, but it was definitely without lights, which is definitely abnormal.
Gnome de PPRuNe
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The KC-135 was a C-17 inbound Mildenhall, no sign of the fast jet but an Osprey also routed over Downham Market at some point post 9.30pm.
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Air to air refuelling is practiced by night “no lights”, using night vision devices. Small lights on the tanker are used as cues for the receiver aircraft but these are not visible to the naked eye. Maybe that’s what you were seeing.
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Back to the thread: AAR is not practised overland, IIRC. Ospreys have a distinctive sound and this aircraft definitely did not match it. It was a mil fast jet without lights and definitely not an Eagle either, as they also have a distinctive sound. I just find it odd that an aircraft is even permitted to fly without lights at night.....
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Back to the thread: AAR is not practised overland, IIRC. Ospreys have a distinctive sound and this aircraft definitely did not match it. It was a mil fast jet without lights and definitely not an Eagle either, as they also have a distinctive sound. I just find it odd that an aircraft is even permitted to fly without lights at night.....
I have previously done AAR overland, but admittedly not in U.K.
Military aircraft can and do fly in U.K. without lights. Normally NOTAM’d though.
