Exercise Saber Strike - Advanced Info/Discussion

[johnwayne]

Today's notam 8am-10:30am local
U1768/14 NOTAMN
Q) EGTT/QFAAH/IV/NBO/A /000/999/5141N00147W005
A) EGVA B) 1406030700 C) 1406030930
E) AD AND RWY 09/27 OPEN. AVAILABLE FOR SCHEDULED MOVEMENTS ONLY

Possibly for the galaxy?

Or even a U2 rotation ?

[oscar01]

2 U-2s due in today Dragon86 / 88

[Skywatcher]

Anybody got an ETA for the dragons please?
All the very best as always
Max

[Bucky P]

Fairford's a bit like a bus stop, nothing or very little happening for ages and then it's one of the busiest bases in the UK for a few weeks!

[Andy_99]

Need to get there over the weekend of 14/15 June. Up in the NE until then.

My son's itching to get there & see the big bombers.

At least we can tie the 14th in with visit to Brize to see the end of the queens birthday flypast.

Andy

[Nippy]

I need about 2 hours notice!

[Skywatcher]

86 has know landed
No serial is know at this time
Just had 86 on tower "be advised I'm doing about 100 on the ground I'm slowing it down "
All the very best as always
Max

[opsjockey]

Max, theres another U2 due in this afternoon. Dragon 21 at around 1pm.U2's are not connected with Sabre Strike. There is a seperate thread in the Fairford Forum and also in the Heads Up for the Dragons.

[Pune]

Hi Guys, any news on C5 movement, cheers. Pune

[opsjockey]

Still there as far as I know...

[Pune]

Thanks opsjockey, appreciated. Pune

[wave scanner]

I've seen them in formations upto 8 aircraft in the past inbound Fairford overhead Worcester, with about 6 plane lengths between them
Is it necessary to have a Notam for a flight of aircraft?
There would be if they were refueling!
Time will tell I guess

I live in Worcester and In 35 years of watching the skies daily I have never seen a "formation" of up to 8 B-52's in that close a proximity to each other heading south over Worcester to Fairford, the most I have ever seen at once was way back in October 1981, and that was 4 D's inbound to I think Brize, and they were a few minutes apart, other than that I have seen a pair of H's doing circuits dumping fuel for about 30 minutes back in the 90's during Operation Allied Force, the only other times I have seen B-52's over Worcester they were single ships! Any way I'm hoping to get down there myself at some point to have a look at the Buff's, it will be just like old times during the Central Enterprise deployments we used to get in June, great stuff!

They were in trail & between Malvern & Worcester heading South east.
I guess you didn't happen to looking up at the sky on that day.
Of course I could have just made it up!

[Bucky P]

Back in about 1982 I saw 3 B52D's virtually line astern with about a minute between them all inbound to Fairford, quite exciting at the time, I was on the school field during a PE lesson!

[graham luxton]

Back in about 1982 I saw 3 B52D's virtually line astern with about a minute between them all inbound to Fairford, quite exciting at the time, I was on the school field during a PE lesson!

Only 2 B-52D deployments to Fairford - June'80 and Oct/Nov'81

[grahamdevizes]

Evening all, dropped into Fairford on my way to Birmingham and also on the way back home at around 13.30. I took a few of the C-5 but the heat haze across the tarmac made it hard to get a decent shot of the third U-2.

A couple of shots here...
IMG_4088 by brownieboy27, on Flickr

IMG_4091 by brownieboy27, on Flickr

[09andrew]

Thanks for the pics!!

[kurt.fairhurst]

Just read that there are B52s and B1s due tomorrow morning at 9am

[SamP]

Just read that there are B52s and B1s due tomorrow morning at 9am

[kurt.fairhurst]

Sam i thought the same when i read the post but to be fair no one knows when or whats coming over its all just guessing and its doing my head in everyone saying different dates and times and aircraft types i even was told b2s are coming as well.

[Mike]

Sam i thought the same when i read the post but to be fair no one knows when or whats coming over its all just guessing and its doing my head in everyone saying different dates and times and aircraft types i even was told b2s are coming as well.

There's B-1s and B-2s involved in the exercise as well, but Fairford is only hosting 8 or 9 B-52s.