FR24 is showing an RAF E3 Sentry airborne and flying circles over East Anglia. I thought they had been retired. Maybe it's been brought out of storage as the E7 Wedgetails aren't ready yet.
That's what I thought, too. This video is from August last year, and they were pretty clear that the RAF Sentry was finished:
This report states that at least one of them was being sold to Chile, so they've been kept in operational condition in order to sell. If so, then it wouldn't have taken much to get them active again, especially during the prolonged build-up to Putin's invasion.
I'm surprised they didn't fly the thing out of Ukraine before the incursion. After all the media were banging on about an impending invasion for many weeks before it happened. So were informed military high ups. It was hardly a surprise.
According to Aviation News Chile has bought 3 E3s and the crews are now in the UK undergoing training. Chile is going to use 2 of the aircraft whilst using the third as a spares source.
Since Chile is about to retire their existing Boeing 707 Condor AEW it makes sense.
This story was also reported in Air Force News.
Whether the Chileans are going anywhere near harms way is another story entirely.
This might be of interest. I've heard mention of this letter leaked from the FSB (the Russian equivalent of the CIA) to a source who has been reliable in the past.
I notice MuckDonalds only pulled out after being shamed into it - gawd, I utterly loathe that company.
I was watching something earlier which mentioned that Russia is now trying to sell crude oil with a discount of $30 a barrel, but having very little luck. Even though their oil can still be bought legally, companies are now wary of being associated with Russia, fearing for their reputations. I'm very happy to see Shell is rapidly disengaging from joint ventures with Russian oil companies.
There are not many laughs in this sorry situation, but right at the moment there are two Beech electronic surveillance aircraft stooging up and down central Lithuania whose call signs are .... wait for it ............YANK01 and YANK02. Who said the Americans don't have a sense of humour ?
