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As Above So Below
More Mystery Aircraft Seen Circling the Skies Above Seattle
This week another mystery plane turned up over Seattle, again circling a small, specific area for hours which included areas inside the airspace of Seattle International Airport. This time, though, the airplane was clearly an instrument of war as opposed to spycraft. What exactly is going on in the skies above Seattle?
As in the last case, this new mystery plane was reported by Tyler Rogoway at the military blog The Drive. Rogoway identified the plane as a “highly modified AC-130J transport plane” equipped with 30mm and 105mm cannons, advanced sensors and defensive countermeasures” and “a variety of missiles and guided bombs.”
Similar AC-130J aircraft are operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command, and this particular craft flew under the not-so-subtle callsign “SHADOW99.”
The Drive notes that aside from the awesome weapons these planes are capable of carrying, many of them are also equipped with “communications intelligence gathering and emissions geolocating capabilities.” The plane flew in near radio silence without “squawking” its callsign as is normal procedure when flying over civilian areas, and some aviation experts noted that the aircraft’s flight path is consistent with an AC-130’s overhead surveillance profile.
What was this plane looking for?
Is it related to last year’s spy plane?
This week another mystery plane turned up over Seattle, again circling a small, specific area for hours which included areas inside the airspace of Seattle International Airport. This time, though, the airplane was clearly an instrument of war as opposed to spycraft. What exactly is going on in the skies above Seattle?
As in the last case, this new mystery plane was reported by Tyler Rogoway at the military blog The Drive. Rogoway identified the plane as a “highly modified AC-130J transport plane” equipped with 30mm and 105mm cannons, advanced sensors and defensive countermeasures” and “a variety of missiles and guided bombs.”
Similar AC-130J aircraft are operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command, and this particular craft flew under the not-so-subtle callsign “SHADOW99.”
The Drive notes that aside from the awesome weapons these planes are capable of carrying, many of them are also equipped with “communications intelligence gathering and emissions geolocating capabilities.” The plane flew in near radio silence without “squawking” its callsign as is normal procedure when flying over civilian areas, and some aviation experts noted that the aircraft’s flight path is consistent with an AC-130’s overhead surveillance profile.
What was this plane looking for?
Is it related to last year’s spy plane?
