AWACs land at Shannon

national | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Thursday April 29, 2004 15:24

by John Jefferies - Cork Anti-War Campaign

Two United States Air Force AWACs landed at Shannon Airport this morning

Photo of US Air Force AWAC

Thanks to the intrepid Tim who went to verify the story, we now know that two US Air Force AWACs (see photo) landed at Shannon this morning to refuel. They took off at 13:00hrs (one hour ago) heading of 060 degrees direction 'MALOT' which I believes means it was heading west. The radio callsign used was "Shuck nine-two".

The AWACs is the world's most advanced surveillance aircraft and can also be used to direct bombers and fighter jets to their targets. Perhaps they've just done some surveillance over Falluja and are on the way home?

Also some other stuff I monitored myself yesterday.

At 8.53am AmTrans 4097 took off from Shannon - this is American Transair of which Tim has written before. This one was on its way to McGuire (sic) Airbase in New Jersey home of the 305th air mobility wing of the US Airforce and the 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force - which seems to have some expertise in making small air strips into proper military air fields in a very short time.

Then something equally interesting around 9.45am. Two pilots were chatting. Didn't hear their ID calls but they seemed to be ordinary passenger jets one probably with a British airline. His exact words were "there's a fighter jet piling straight for me.... have to go". This was on 123.450 MHz. I never did hear what happened after that but don't expect it's going to be in the news. They had to be within or very close to Irish airspace for me to pick this up.

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Comments (3 of 3)

clarification

by Tim

Thu Apr 29, 2004 19:16

there was only the one AWAC aircraft seen by us that took off at 13:00.

It was guarded as usual by the Garda Siochana, Airport Police and had an FBO van parjed next to it. It attracted a lot of attention from local planespotters and I might have a good close up shot for you soon.

I recall one of these planes being here last year at the same time as one of the protests, Denis Halliday was talking to the crowd from a truck trailer and the AWAC aircraft came in.

a snippet of background with some irony.

Thu Apr 29, 2004 19:46

Basically the E-3 Airborne Warning And Control (AWAC) is a flying air traffic control center that directs the aircraft to their unfortunate victims.

it think the reg for this one was 81-0005, which makes it an E-3A.

I haven't yet found what this aircraft was up to recently, but while I'm looking, here's some of what they've been doing in the past. Note the irony of the Haiti Mission.

In IRAQ

In January 1993, a 552d ACW E-3, flying a "Southern Watch" mission over the Persian Gulf region, guided an air strike against Iraqi ground targets in response to Iraqi violations of United Nations resolutions. Four days later, a wing E-3 guided a United States Air Force F-16 in the interception and destruction of an Iraqi MiG-29.

In HAITI

In September 1994, the wing flew 23 missions over Haiti, in support of Operation Uphold Democracy from forward operating locations and Tinker AFB. This operation, directed by President Clinton, ousted military leaders to return the freely elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

They also mistakenly directed some US F-15s to shoot down some US Marine helicopters over Iraq in 1996, killing over 20 marines.

Recent sighting

by spotter

Thu Apr 29, 2004 21:16

at an RAF base in England.

see pics at link.

But where was it coming from today? hardly made a 2hr stop in Shannon to refuel after a short hop from the UK?

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AWACs land at Shannon

Comments (3 of 3)