Interesting visitors

[reheat module]

Possible pair of Diamond DA-42 due in to Waddington Tuesday 17th November. Late afternoon arrival and depart 19th or 20th mid morning.
Unusual visitors, reports of the service having 3, operating in trial and survellience projects.
RM

[BOLLO]

According to various mags they have been down the desert at sometime on "missions"

[Phill]

DA 42 seen departing to the East (presumably for a mission) at approx 12:40 today.

Any tie up appreciated.

Thanks

Phill

[PhilD]

Noted arriving on 17th Nov at approx 1500 was DA-42 OE-VMN. Dont know if a second one subsequently turned up.

Also noted that day was Chinook HC.3 ZH899 operating to and from the ranges as "Vortex 391" together with a Lynx AH.9 (presume this to be ZG889) "Gauntlet 33".

Visiting was Navy Jetstream T.2 XX478/CU-564 "Navy 808".

Cranwell King Airs noted in the circuit were -
ZK450/J "Cranwell 61"
ZK451/K "Cranwell 70"
ZK452/L "Cranwell 01"
ZK454/N "Cranwell 73"
along with a Tucano T.1 coded "MP-D" call sign "Linton 67" - serial not reqd.

PhilD

[POL]

along with a Tucano T.1 coded "MP-D" call sign "Linton 67" - serial not reqd.

But for completeness, ZF172

[RichC]

The DA-42s which are common down here are not using registrations like that 'OE'.
The ones which went out on Afghan trials etc were G-DOSA, G-DOSB, G-DOSC. The three are based at Old Sarum and are not so 'secret' if you live in the southern counties as they are always up in and out of Boscombe and old Sarum and on various exercises.

They have interchangeable nose cones. The standard nose for normal transits and the ISTAR nose for missions which they simply just snap on. It holds an ISTAR Ball turret.

You see them down here sometimes wearing the civil reg's but the next day they will have RAF regs and "Royal Air Force" transfers.
They swap over like theres no tomorrow.

They came back from trials months ago.

Whether or not OE-VMN is another one destined for the RAF (5 Sqn) i don't know. It's obviously on a trial so i expect it could be the fourth example.

ISTAR aircraft are not ..... they are just aircraft which provide comms relay, target info and imagery and surveillance exactly like that of the Nimrod MR2 MARPAT with its ISTAR ball, Shadow R1 and the Fisheries Protection Dornier 228 (Rushton 66) which supports Army exercises (especially on SPTA and Otterburn).

[POL]

OE-VMN is/was the original prototype for the system I believe.

[beefsteak]

I saw one of them(Too far away, and the weather wasn't playing ball either, to identify specific airframe , sorry) circling over Donna Nook at about 10.00am yesterday (18th) morning