For the first time since August of 2020, N712JM has taken to the skies. It has been transferred from the US Air Force to NASA under the new reg N837NA. Denmar Technical Services will now convert this aircraft to a Vomit Comet.
Hoping to see it in a cool NASA livery soon!
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Is This Secretive Air Force 737 About To Become NASA’s Next ‘Vomit Comet’?
NASA wants to hire a very specialized company to see if a "classified" Air Force 737 could be used as a testbed for low-gravity work.
https://t.co/Bu5jyfsYYe
I recently saw this B727-200 Freighter now registered to Burundi Air Force as BAF-4127. someone has any insights of this aircraft please.? #burundi#b727#africa
Additional Sentry movements #FreeIran
At least 2 further E-3G "Sentry" AWACS are scheduled to depart, and their supporting tankers have begun moving:
E-3G "SHUCK84" 76-1506 #AE11DC (awaits)
E-3G "SHUCK85" 79-0001 #AE11E7 (awaits)
KC-46A "DECOR21" 21-46091 #AE63C7 (airborne)
KC-46A "ETHYL31" 21-46061 #AE5FA8 (awaits)
KC-46A "FIAT41" 21-46088 #AE63C4 (awaits)
(+ possibly a 4th tanker TBC)
This would bring the total in Europe to 4 airframes tomorrow.
Image via 'nicolastoto' on @JetPhotos@MATA_osint@FaytuksNetwork
Big news from France!
Their new Archange bizjet has flown for the first time. The ISR/EW platform is based on the Dassault Aviation Falcon 8X and is equipped with the Thales CUGE sensor suite.
Apparently the USAF are starting to miscode their aircrafts with Transponders from C172. First example was a MC-130J based at MH today inbound to EDDS as N103MC C172 also pinging on FR24 and ADSB as such. #adsb#miscode#hex@AviaphotoYannis@SR_Planespotter
I‘d like to start a database for the USAF P-8 Poseidons connecting their Hexcodes to their registration markings. Today seen was #AE6788 reading as 168857. Thanks for further input on this #poseidon#p8#hexcode
A few tankers are now moving from Guam (PGUA) to Diego Garcia (FJDG). Rumors of B-2s up and westbound out of Whiteman, though no numbers yet given.
USAF KC-135s AE065A as RCH011 and ADFF0D as RCH015 are both en route to FJDG from PGUA with others in the air.
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🚨 Something big is moving…
Deployment of #US 🇺🇸 strategic bombers 🛫
A formation of #US 🇺🇸 Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers - callsigns PITCH11, PITCH12, and PITCH13 - is confirmed to be flying westbound across the Pacific Ocean.
These bombers were identified via radio transmissions by military aviation monitors. The B-2 Spirit is the only aircraft capable of delivering the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator - a 13,600 kg bunker-busting bomb designed to destroy deeply buried hardened facilities.
⛽ Largescale aerial refueling operation
To support this movement, at least 18 #US 🇺🇸 Air Force tankers have been prepositioned across the Pacific:
•Travis Air Force Base (#US 🇺🇸)
•Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (#Hawaii 🇺🇸)
•Andersen AFB (#Guam 🇬🇺)
These tankers are operating under sequential “Reach” (RCH) callsigns from RCH011 to RCH033, suggesting a tightly linked operation designed to provide continuous mid-air refueling for transoceanic bomber flights.
📍 Possible destinations:
All indicators point toward either:
1.#DiegoGarcia 🇬🇧, a remote British-controlled island base in the #IndianOcean 🌊, from where B-2s can reach strategic targets in #Iran 🇮🇷.
2.Or a route toward #Yemen 🇾🇪, for a possible follow-up strike against the resistance forces fighting U.S. and Israeli-aligned interests in the region.
Notably, during the October 2024 strikes on Yemeni resistance positions, B-2s were observed refueling off the coast of #Australia 🇦🇺, likely to avoid radar exposure and maintain oceanic stealth.
The current route appears different, possibly favoring Diego Garcia.
💼 Context: #US 🇺🇸 Secretary of Defense’s travel
Coinciding with these movements, Secretary of Defence #Hegseth is set to begin a diplomatic trip this week. While some assets could theoretically support his visit, the scale of the tanker mobilization far exceeds any standard VIP security protocols.
This raises the possibility that the bomber movement is either:
•A show of force coordinated with high-level diplomatic engagements
•A pre-positioning of military options in case of a breakdown in regional negotiations
•Or a covert escalation in readiness posture against #Iran 🇮🇷
🎯 Implications:
•The presence of the GBU-57A/B implies potential targets that are heavily fortified and deeply buried, such as Iran’s 🇮🇷 Fordow or Natanz nuclear facilities.
•However, a strike against #Yemen 🇾🇪 cannot be ruled out, given past precedent and the continued resistance operations there.
•Alternatively, this could represent a strategic psychological operation - signaling military readiness while framing the narrative of diplomacy still being on the table.
🔍 Conclusion
This is not routine force projection.
The combination of stealth bombers, transoceanic tanker support, and overlapping diplomatic movements suggests either imminent kinetic action or calibrated psychological pressure in a highly volatile #westasia
What happens next may depend less on what’s said - and more on what’s already in motion.