Buzzed!

[Stoo]

All of a sudden this lot screams past rather low heading roughly north-west, and that was maybe half of it tops (too slow with the camera to get the others)

They came across in groups of 4, and each larger plane had a 4-5 fighter escorts with them..

Anyone what what the heck is going on?

[Zak33]

I feel a US arrival due here then...

why the HELL else would all that lot be up....

scares the sh1t outta me when you see that much hardware up...

was this today Stoo mate..its not on telly...you might be a first

[TeePee]

Could be anything, maybe a training misssion, maybe the Chinese are invading!

[Stoo]

Yeah, today about an hour ago

Normally we get a few fighters messing about over the coast here because there's some big military training zone, but I've never seen anything on this scale, not even when everything was heading to and from the gulf..

[TiG]

LOL - i think you'll find that Stoo may disappear some point soon and this thread will mysteriously disappear

Its been nice knowing you matey

TiG

[Stoo]

LOL cheers

[mgh0]

nice picture of that nimrod.

Wonder where all thats heading

[Skii]

Well the first piccy is an RAF VC-10 with 4 Jaguars
The 2 then 4 next to the AWACS are tornados
7th piccy is a Yank C-17 Globemaster
Last one is a Nimrod

God knows what they are up to - most probably on their way to an air display or summat

[MasterFlash]

wow quite scary, where abouts was this m8?

[Butuz]

Whoa - impressive snapping Stoo!

Butuz

[Stoo]

Over Lowestoft, Suffolk at approx 14:20..

[yamangman]

I know that RAF Waddington is going to play host to some of these aircraft at their upcoming airshow, and the Globemaster was proably RAF not yank. Funnily enough while writing this I just saw two F-15E strike Eagles fly right over my house probably from RAF Lakenheath, so perhaps its a training exercise.

[Dakaras]

Nice Pics, Used to live over the wash from you Stoo by the Wainfleet Gunnery and Bomb Range (when I say by I mean BY!!! Last house on the road to the ranges) you see some peculiar formations at times thats for sure. Also the go slow and high doesnt happen in Licolnshire The airshow Sunday reminned me big time of living up there, when Tornados were scrambled to go over north sea on intercept in the 80s many is the time we would have them flashing over on full reheat at 50 metres sometime the jet wash throwing the tops of the trees on the Gunby Estate waving

[MA_Moby]

The top one looks like a VC10 tanker with Jaguars. The next two, an E3 with Tornados. The one below that - Tornados and a KC10 maybe. The next two - Jags with drops (?) and VC10. Next, a C17 - also used by RAF. Then, more jags and a VC10. And finally Nimrods. So it looks like a thoroughly British affair.

They could be climbing out to the Lakenheath Aerial Tactics Area, which is a large area of airspace that starts about 5 miles East of Lowestoft, above 6000ft. Though with all those tankers it's more likely they're heading to an AARA, air to air refuelling area. The question is, did you see them come back? If not, maybe they're going off an exercise in Europe or further afield (that might explain the C17 - probably packed with spares and stuff for the ground crew)!

[Zak33]

I'll say again maybe Bush is due back here for dinner this week....him and Tony are up against it this week.....its them vs the world right now.

that means US and the US (looks weird huh) vs everybody else.

However....Jaguars are quite.....old now aren't they? No Harriers there either....

ok...I give up...Im probably wrong.

Besides....if Airforce 1 was due back this week, there would be a Yak display team to defend it.....you KNOW it makes sense

[MA_Moby]

Originally Posted by Zak33

However....Jaguars are quite.....old now aren't they?

Well over thirty years old, though they've had plenty of upgrades in the past decade. They're going to creak on until the Eurofighter comes into service. Then they'll close down RAF Coltishall (where the Jag squads, 6, 41 and 54, are based). A sad old day that'll be