DAGGR55 (5:5) USAFSOC Dornier 328 departing Ted Stevens Int'l Airport after an overnight and an inbound from Adak Island, AK prior
This AC landed at Adak, AK from JASDF Chitose AB, Japan last night
from 2015
Meet the U.S. Air Force’s Commando Test Plane
The twin-engined Dornier 328–100 — nicknamed the “Cougar” — looks plain on the outside, but is full of sophisticated hardware on the inside. It’s the Air Force’s special commando test aircraft, and it’s where engineers test sensors, weapons and other gear meant for gunships, spy planes and other aircraft.
The Cougar is set up to be modular, so almost anything can be inserted into various internal bays and fixed pods, or strapped onto the fuselage using various mounting points. In May 2015, U.S. Air Force Col. Eric Forsyth described the plane’s internal details at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida. Those details include:
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Two external sponsons (750 lbs max)
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Modular fuselage antenna bays (1 top / 2 bottom)
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Ku-Band BLOS [beyond line of sight] satellite data link system
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Nose available for antenna/sensor mount
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Two reconfigurable operator workstations
With jacks for power, Ethernet, GPS and other linkages, engineers can easily install all sorts of gear. These systems would potentially be able to run long-range radars, powerful cameras, high-powered radios, laser range finders and more. The Cougar can carry all of these equipment up to an altitude of more than 30,000 feet. The plane itself can fly more than 1,000 miles at a speed of nearly 400 miles per hour. In 2014, the Air Force bought the plane from Nevada-based aerospace contractor Sierra Nevada Corporation. The ultra-secretive 645th Aerospace Systems Group — more commonly known by its nickname Big Safari — currently owns the Cougar.
moar
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/meet-the-u-s-air-force-s-commando-test-plane-ba594f07c48b
SAM113 USAF C-40B heading to MacDill AFB from Shannon Ireland ground stop and a Ramstein AFB origin earlier today.
This AC departed Baku, Azerbaijan yesterday with a ground stop at Sophia, Bulgaria prior to arrival at Ramstein.
99-6143 USAFSOC C-32B departed NAS Oceana sw back to Eglin AFB after a fly by or really quick ground stop at NAS Key West
02-5001 USAFSOC C-32B continues ne from a Pinal Airpark, nw of Tucson, AZ ground stop-origin of Eglin AFB ealrier