A3 Sentry Aircraft
 

Hi Everyone,
Just thought I would throw this one out to you; anyone noticed that A3 Sentry aircraft are being painted in civilian colour schemes (and very colourful too?)all of a sudden? (highly unusual!!)?

Just wondered if anyone knows why and if it has anything to do with the olympics and aviation security??

What a stupid question to be asking.

And more to the point what a stupid thing to post on a public website which has access to it by both law abiding and those with a wish to create harm and terror

I'll bite; it's not too difficult to find out on google that there is one E3 painted in a colourful NATO E-3A component 25th anniversary scheme since 2007. Nothing civilian, and hardly "all of a sudden".

And now off to the spotters balcony I suppose

nah its not is just like all the knobbers that ask about the other assets which we all know about as pro crew and ATC but don't talk about.

Paint an aircraft like a cadburys dairy milk, fly it around olympic venues everyone thinks its advertising.

Some knob comes on PPrune and asks has anyone seen the CDM painted aircraft with the camera mount and 28 antenna's sticking out of it along with a dirty big box with a fan on the front slung underneith. You have just increased the exposure of the asset and potentialy reduced its potential value.

It may be painted in a CDM scheme but if its military, it'll be carrying a military serial number and would have been identified by the many spotters and posted all over the net. I doubt anything can fly in this country without it being seen and photographed. Hope not anyway.
BTW, It's E-3.

I can think of quite a few security assets without mil serial numbers on them.

As would many many other pilots around the UK. We are more than likely not meant to know that they are assets.

But we don't come on pprune and say.

Wahey! Out of bed on the wrong side today eh mj? I've yet to see an E3 that can be disguised by painting it in civvy colours and I know a lot of these terrorists are thick but they're not that thick! You're talking fluent bollocks mate.
And in answer to the original post - no I haven't seen any in civvy colour schemes but there are photos of at least one in an anniversary paint scheme - which I don't think they mind being publicised and I'm pretty sure doesn't compromise national security.

A3 Sentry aircraft
 

In answer to Mad Jocks reply to Ferret2760-it was stated that he was new to Pprune,so I think your reply to him was a bit out of order,you could have steered the guy politely to the Spotters Balcony where his letter would be more appreciated-next time maybe:=:=

Perhaps this "Top Secret" colour scheme?



http://www.airteamimages.com/pics/48/48376_800.jpg

Its not just E3's

And I agree most will not confuse them.

Its just the stupidity of asking if something is being used for security.

If they wern't bothered they would just paint the things one colour and stick MI5 on the side.

If it is to do with security do they really think they are going to get an answer?

Quote MadJock

I can think of quite a few security assets without mil serial numbers on them.


hmmm, like those little DA42's that occassionally turn up (G-DOSB / G-DOSB, OE-xxx etc...... (among others)... infrared cameras, ground mapping radar.. all the gear

Harmless question by the OP...

err no I wasn't thinking of them.

And I am certainly not daft enough to start listing types and regs.

Its just the same as asking about a certain type of twin aircraft circling about major citys not talking to ATC. Which I might add there have been more than a few threads deleted on that subject.

Which ones are they then?

They are the pink ones, the pilots and operators are all women.

There job during day light hours is to police builders cracks being displayed. Fit blokes are ignored but fat bastards with hairy arses the flying squad is called in.

And at night they hunt down blokes going for a sly slash walking home from the pub.

MJ,

Give up, you overreacted and you know it but you are just digging your hole even deeper now.

Neeee norrrrr, here come the forum police! :ugh:

What possible harm could the OP cause by posting this :cool: Have you never been an air show Mad Jock? They have those secret planes with the big cookies on the top there too :eek:

Believe it or not, there are far more 'secret' things on the interwebs.

CIA Rendition Flights • WWW.SECRET-BASES.CO.UK

A3 Sentry Aircraft?

I think the poor chap means Boeing E3 Sentry aircraft?

The A3 was surely the US Navy version of the Douglas B-66 Sky Warrior. One of my old co-pilots used to fly the A3D version. He reckoned that if the gear collapsed during a carrier landing this stood for All 3 Dead!

Anyway, I just thought I would join in the thread-drift frenzy before the whole lot gets shifted to the Spotters Forum which is where it should have been in the first place!

It was the stupidity of the "is it to do with security" that I reacted to not the aircraft type to be honest.

What the hell a clapped out old 707 with a frizzbie on top is going to do apart from something to do with security and Mil type stuff is beyond me.

Missed a trick the security boys, they should have painted a Nimrod yellow and green and given it a red nose nobody would have guessed it wasn't civi.

If it was another type why ask the question because if it is, you ain't going to get an answer.

And yes that site did make me cringe.

"With a frizzbie on top";

I think the word you are striving for is "Frisbee"?

In my day the "clapped-out 707s" were known as "Smarties".

Wow :oh: If only we could all be as knowledgeable as you.