The Secret Squirrel Approach
It has been over three years since Air Mobility Command decided to go all Secret Squirrel on the plane spotters. Now if there is something that “rips ma knitting”, it is taking something as unobtrusive as a C-17 and remove the visible markings from it – other than the legally required US Flag on the verticle stabilizer.
So the sod-off great big aeroplane painted in low visibility grey, parked on the airfield with only the US Flag to identify it – is meant to fool people into thinking it’s a what? In May this year, there were at least 17 U. S. Air Force aircraft through Prestwick. Now I have to come clean here, I’m not sure why they would want to remove the identifying marks other than for something nefarious.
Not just visible markings
As you can see from the picture above, some of the markings have just been quickly over painted. The aircraft are turning off their ADS-B transponders, presumably for OPSEC reasons as well. This just makes people more interested, so if this has been mandated by someone senior and it is for some nefarious purpose. Well perhaps they should cast their minds back to the days of extraordinary rendition, in the end not a great look for the USA.
The rumours go further
I came across an article, I can not remember where – but the way it read to me was that the gist of it was even the manufacturers plate would be removed. I heard Prestwick tower request serial numbers for some of the unidentified aircraft, to be fair they did supply serials. They then provided a different set of serials to the ground control, used for fuelling and other ground services. So although these are obviously United States Military aircraft, the operational security requirements dictate that the specific identity is hidden.
If I told you I’d have to kill you!
Everyone has heard someone say that, it’s some ancient cliche that we have all had a little snigger at. From a spotting perspective the whole thing is pretty annoying, someone has decided this is a good idea. Now taking the number off the tail doesn’t hide the fact that it is a military aircraft and it is part of the military of the United States of America. It just makes it difficult to identify specific aircraft, some of these aircraft must have specific tasks.
It is out there somewhere – go fix it!
For the people who maintain and manage these resources there have to be problems. When you have an airbase the size of RAF Mildenhall and you have to find one specific unmarked aircraft. You have to use an alternate technology, you need to be able to track these assets to a location. People who have to work on them also need to be able to find them. So they have to be using something like RFID, or be piggy backed onto an other location system.
These were a group of six MC-130J’s all unmarked that arrived at prestwick during May 2026. The individual aircraft markings had been hurriedly removed, in some cases just painted over.
Just a thought
As the veil of secrecy envelops the unmarked MC-130Js that recently touched down, their removal of identifying markings igniting speculation and curiosity alike.
This shift towards operational obscurity seems to hint at some deeper strategy, one that evokes memories of the past while raising questions about the present. With the aircraft now boasting an enigmatic appearance and transponders silenced, it’s a fascinating puzzle for aviation enthusiasts, sparking intrigue about the missions they may fulfill.
We’ve seen a number of types, all without markings. The C-32’s, C-17’s, KC-135’s, KC-46’s, U-28’s and now in the space of two weeks 16 C-130J’s, not a serial visible all under the cover of operational security. Even during war time, there has never been a need for the removal of serial numbers. So exactly what is going on?
Next Post
In the next post I’m going to be “bumping my gums” about the new Air Force One, a no strings attached gift from Qatar to the United States of America. An aircraft which according to the Commander in Chief, America could no longer build.
Photographs Copyright © Dave Munro
Dave Munro