exercise chameleon 2020

[Unknown74]

Saw an Apache over West Edinburgh this morning.Wondered which one it was. If it was the same as last night - didn’t have my radio on as I was outside for some air.

[Unknown74]

Are there any Chameleon participants still at Leuchars?

[Mike s]

Certainly was! Was a very quick Gas n Go!

i got a photo of it as it passed right over my house! any idea what it's serial was
cheers
mike

[venom]

did 3 chinooks.land

[Condor68]

Lifter 3 been overflying Carnoustie from Leuchars direction .Over sea off Arbroath just now

[Condor68]

Lifter 1,2,and 3 all heading south over newcastle area just now look like heading for Leeming. Albert01 Hercules been doing circuits at sea and circling Arbroath for a while now on ground at Leuchars.

[Condor68]

Lifter 2 and 3 now at Leeming don`t know what happened to 1 they were all pretty close over Newcastle in a line with 1 in the middle If he got home before the other 2 must have been through the stops to pass 2 who was well in the lead.

[100arw]

Lifter and Albert both did evening para drops over Condor DZ.
P.

[balamorybuzzed]

Only Lifter 2 and 3 left Leuchars after operating over Condor and sea yesterday evening, Lifter 1 is still on ground at Leuchars just now.

Edit ;
Thurs 17th
14.32 Vortex 488(Chinook) depart to south through Edinburgh overhead, rtb Leeming.

[Yammer]

12.50 Friday 18.9.20 - ALBERT 02 talking to Brize inbound from Leuchars - pinging as Herc ZH875

[Condor68]

Lifter 1 must have turned back as at one point all 3 were showing on ADSB over the Newcastle area.

[Unknown74]

Have hardly seen any Chameleon Traffic this Year oddly, normally see a few Chinooks or Apaches over Edinburgh during the Exercise but I think I only saw 1 Apache - Twice! but no Chinooks, Not even the one Balamorybuzzed saw on Thursday 17th. No doubt due to the fact they used Leeming mostly this year.

Hope I get better luck in 2021?!?!?.......

[Condor68]

Normally see quite a bit of activity here as the ranges are literally the next field from the Golf Course.Been a bit extra ground activity but short of a few Chinooks and the Hercules overflying the town heading for Condor and the Skyvan dropping a few seen very little this year.

Keith

[Condor68]

Should also have said pretty qiet at night as well.

[Mcmullg83]

Apparently there were Helos over Fife last night around midnight. No idea what they were as I was told about them, didn't hear them.

[Mcmullg83]

Certainly was! Was a very quick Gas n Go!

i got a photo of it as it passed right over my house! any idea what it's serial was
cheers
mike

Sorry, Mike. I didn't actually get decent photos to make out the serial.

[100arw]

For years I have said Special Forces exercises should not be so predictable. But this recent one was 110% out of character. Two boats on stand-by for the full period, but hardly used, and the normal multiple assault insertions never materialised - just a couple.

What was unexpected, and seemingly to me a waste of resource (and money) were a total of 91 C-130 flights. These were mostly return flights to either Aalborg in Denmark, or Leeming and again involved just a few High Altitude High Opening (HAHO) para drops, thrown in for good measure. Even then they only utilised a few of the multiple DZ NOTAM areas (which I guess a few private pilots decided to accidentally ignore - knowing they were not active, going on various conversations overheard on a scanner). There were even less fast roping and insertion/extraction experience flights - but none during exercise insertions.

Even the DZ used near Aalborg was out of character and not the least taxing. Still it gave the Shadow R1 the opportunity to be within range of a Russian exercise, whilst it orbited a nearby Chameleon target area. I attend a Danish SF exercise each year, and whilst this years was cancelled, Chameleon cannot have provided much of a joint training experience for their very professional SF troops.

Whilst I accept Leeming was also used again for a few HAHO drops and a few fast roping and extraction sorties. In the main they were not related to Chameleon sorties. But gave another unit the experience. As for the Leeming rotary sorties. A number of enthusiasts confused a rotary exercise with Chameleon, which was running in parallel but not connected.

Maybe next year will see more action.

P.

[ythanpythan]

I’m sure someone will include your feedback/observations in the post Ex debrief 100arw.

[100arw]

No need. They planned it and are fully aware of what they achieved :-)

[Mike s]

Certainly was! Was a very quick Gas n Go!

i got a photo of it as it passed right over my house! any idea what it's serial was
cheers
mike

Sorry, Mike. I didn't actually get decent photos to make out the serial.

Thanks anyway, i only managed a belly shot
mike