Confirming that; my nephew sent me a murky shot of RA-76952 descending into Speke on the 27th. Planefinder shows the origin to have been Bratislava.

Think it was last night I noted another one on Planefinder heading SE across Essex from Liverpool towards Europe...

LH A350 approaching Mount Pleasant this morning

Not the aircraft per se, but the pseudo-radar return: an aircraft near the wash with a squawk scrolling through 7002; 5765; 3201; 6101; 0462; 2722... with about 2 seconds between each change. Mode S Shows 000001 so no help for aircraft type, but performance would suggest F15 or better and trail suggests Lakenheath origin.
I get paid to look at squawks and have never previously noticed this kind of SSR behaviour.

Hunter PP-XHH is now showing up as XE688 which I believe is its official i/d now - been disporting itself over the West Country this morning... Formerly Embraer's chase aircraft following many years serving the Chilean AF.

AN-12BK off to Cairo went overhead me this morning UR-11316, 10-30 ish from Brum.

A passenger 757 going by me into LHR this afternoon, A Titan example subbing for someone. Pretty rare these days, at least in Europe/UK apart from the cargo example of DHL.

Arrived from Guyana via Gran Canaria, departed to Istanbul.

Does age matter?
3 aircraft over UK now 35yrs, 33 and 31 yrs respectively, which is the oldest recently?

It's possible to see 3* C-135 over the UK at once from the 1950s.

Just seen Astral 747F finals 09R

Another one of those odd USAF round-the-houses routings - C-5 85-0010 has departed Rota, headed mostly due north over the Bay of Biscay to Penzance, now cracking ENE up the West Country and currently will pass over here Heathrow in a few minutes. Presumably enroute Ramstein, unless it diverts further NE and drops into Mildenhall... Mind you, I've noticed in the past that a lot of airliners operating from/to Spain or Canaries seem to avoid France and route up to Western Approaches before taking a more easterly heading to UK or Dutch airports or wherever - or vice versa.

USAF C-146 Wolfhound has just gone eastbound over Sarf London which might have been interesting to see... Meanwhile, even more interesting, westbound and approaching Strumble is Honduran Air Force Legacy FAH-001, been visiting Geneva it seems. In me spotting days would have been most upset to have missed that (though not as upset as I was to miss an ANG EC-121 flogging over early one morning in the mid-70s - I even heard it but was too lazy to get out of bed...).

U2 8,000ft over Cheltenham probably going into Fairford

Just had a MIAT B767-3 into Schiphol

and KC-135 QID32 which did a spell in the refuelling area North of Narfolk out from the Hall, then took a scenic jaunt down the E. Coast at about 4000 ft then descending to 850 ft just North of the Isle of Sheppey before a 180 back North again and then cutting in over Clacton, returning to the Hall to seemingly join the cct for a play there. :ok:

Now, was this a "jolly" as it was a nice arvo for a stooge around the E. Anglian coast or ....... a clandestine training sortie preparing for an incognito low-level strike on behalf of the UK Government against the Republic of the Isle of Sheppey should they ever declare UDI? :E

Probably one of them thar Esturine sea forts doing a bit of anchor chain rattling...

Someone is having fun today....:)
Why do they use a private contractor for this sort of work rather than deploying a Typhoon, thereby giving an RAF pilot a bit more experience :confused:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....23f4661697.jpg

:ok: You could be right treads!!!!! Not the first time the Forts have been trouble-makers to the 'thorities!!!!

So, apart from the potential of another off-shore insurrection needing to be put down, it looked a nice trip yesterday - most of the way down the East coast @4k (between snow showers - must have been an amazing view!), then what looked like a DME arc type track (based on Southend?) towards Sheppey while descending to 850 ft etc.

I used to take students to Sheppey for PFLs in times gone by - just wondering what a 135 could be doing on the above profile towards the place? Seems odd in one way .... but, given the Wx yesterday, a nice, scenic way to get some GH in. And one way to get round "Lockdown" rules I guess!!!!!! Lucky peeps!!!! :ok:

Those forts as you Say caused UK Gov probelems were home to Pirate Radio Radio Such And others like. Principality of Sealand.