The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

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AndyXH558
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by AndyXH558 »

Israeli kc707, or the iiaf kc707 that was impounded at Manchester in the early 80s?

Or that big nosed Gulfstream that popped up at Prestwick once. Israeli I think?
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iainpeden
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by iainpeden »

The Saudi electronic warfare aircraft at East Midlands (can’t remember the designation) last(?) year.
People were back and forth between Castle Donnington and Waddington like twitchers on heat.
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AndyXH558
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by AndyXH558 »

Saudi af kc135 back at one of the air fetes once?
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Professor_M
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Professor_M »

iainpeden wrote:
Thu 25 Aug 2022, 7:14 am
The Saudi electronic warfare aircraft at East Midlands (can’t remember the designation) last(?) year.
People were back and forth between Castle Donnington and Waddington like twitchers on heat.
I think that you are talking about the RE-3A that went into Waddington (with the A330 MRTT supporting it at EMA).

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Professor_M
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Professor_M »

AndyXH558 wrote:
Wed 24 Aug 2022, 11:25 pm
Israeli kc707, or the iiaf kc707 that was impounded at Manchester in the early 80s?

Or that big nosed Gulfstream that popped up at Prestwick once. Israeli I think?
Israeli KC-707 are fairly regular visitors to Prestwick (and one came to Cobra Warrior at Waddington a few years back) - exotic and interesting, but perhaps not rare.
A G550 CAEW also appeared in the static display at Farnborough in 2008.

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AndyXH558
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by AndyXH558 »

But I'd say the Iranian kc707 is very rare undeed here
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Andyph
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Andyph »

USN Skywarrior... is my fav

But depends how you define rare -plenty of aircraft types just made one visit

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skippyscage
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by skippyscage »

Andyph wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 1:46 am
USN Skywarrior... is my fav

But depends how you define rare -plenty of aircraft types just made one visit
The Rota based ones were often at Mildenhall

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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Andyph »

skippyscage wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 6:43 am
Andyph wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 1:46 am
USN Skywarrior... is my fav

But depends how you define rare -plenty of aircraft types just made one visit
The Rota based ones were often at Mildenhall
Fair call

Yes I know I saw a few . Even if it's a stretch to say 'often' .
I still think of them as rare in the UK. And certainly were in the OP's timeframe!

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capercaillie
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by capercaillie »

Andyph wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 7:32 am
skippyscage wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 6:43 am
Andyph wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 1:46 am
USN Skywarrior... is my fav

But depends how you define rare -plenty of aircraft types just made one visit
The Rota based ones were often at Mildenhall
Fair call

Yes I know I saw a few . Even if it's a stretch to say 'often' .
I still think of them as rare in the UK. And certainly were in the OP's timeframe!
Not quite, they retired in 1991 shortly after the one appeared at Fairford, so just miss the 30 years. Sadly that was the only one I saw in the UK, although did see that one again at Van Nuys sporting an F-15 nose and got to sit in the TA-3 in the hangar back in 1997. Happy days.
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Tommy
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Tommy »

Apologies if this has already been said, and not to get too conspiratorial, but perhaps the rarest western military type to visit these shores is a type we don’t know about, or don’t know has visited 👀

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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Andyph »

Ignoring the 30 year thing

Cant get much rarer than:

Mirage 4000
YC-15
YF-17 Cobra
B-1A
EAP!

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capercaillie
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by capercaillie »

Tommy wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 8:35 am
Apologies if this has already been said, and not to get too conspiratorial, but perhaps the rarest western military type to visit these shores is a type we don’t know about, or don’t know has visited 👀
But its been more than once Tom, so the Calima still has it. :alien:
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speedbird2639
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by speedbird2639 »

The OP has (un?)intentionally started a great debate.

By not outlining any specific criteria for the definition of 'rare' the debate can be open ended and wide ranging. Is 'rare' defined by the number of visits to the UK? Is 'rare' defined by the number of airframes for that type, regardless of the number of visits to the UK? Do experimental/ development aircraft count? Etc Etc

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iainpeden
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by iainpeden »

Tommy wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 8:35 am
Apologies if this has already been said, and not to get too conspiratorial, but perhaps the rarest western military type to visit these shores is a type we don’t know about, or don’t know has visited 👀
You mean the a/c that crashed at Boscombe, was very quickly sheeted over and disappeared back to the USA in a C-5; Aurora or a never disclosed variant of the YF-23?

Speedbird -you're right. A thread we can have a decent chat on and (surely!!!!) not argue!
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Meteorops »

As the Canadian Lancaster has been mentioned, what about the Boeing Peashooter at Flying Legends in 2014?

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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Gregson »

FarnboroJohn wrote:
Tue 23 Aug 2022, 4:46 pm
What about the WB-57?
No has visited on numerous occasions.

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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Gregson »

Tommy wrote:
Tue 23 Aug 2022, 5:14 pm
WB-57 is a shout, but my knowledge only goes back about 19 years, wasn’t really in the hobby in the 90s and 00s.

Also (as always) depends how you define “rare”.

WB-57 is a decent shout.
Not really it has made several visits to Mildenhall in that period. The two NASA Nuclear sensor Gulfstreams that visited a few years ago are far rarer.

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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Gregson »

toom317 wrote:
Tue 23 Aug 2022, 6:18 pm
Brazilian P3 at Lossie for JMC April 2013.
Is Brazil "Western", surely South American!?
iainpeden wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 9:32 am
Tommy wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 8:35 am
Apologies if this has already been said, and not to get too conspiratorial, but perhaps the rarest western military type to visit these shores is a type we don’t know about, or don’t know has visited 👀
You mean the a/c that crashed at Boscombe, was very quickly sheeted over and disappeared back to the USA in a C-5; Aurora or a never disclosed variant of the YF-23?

Speedbird -you're right. A thread we can have a decent chat on and (surely!!!!) not argue!
Yawn which we all know wasn't actually anything secretive (or the YF-23) at all. That story has been proven incorrect over and over.

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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Gregson »

Andyph wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 8:43 am
Ignoring the 30 year thing

Cant get much rarer than:

Mirage 4000
YC-15
YF-17 Cobra
B-1A
EAP!
Wrong! None of which were in Military sevice but all company demonstrators.
Last edited by Gregson on Fri 26 Aug 2022, 11:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Gregson »

Andyph wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 1:46 am
USN Skywarrior... is my fav

But depends how you define rare -plenty of aircraft types just made one visit
In the last 30 years?? Wasn't the last one to visit the UK at IAT 91.

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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by Gregson »

AndyXH558 wrote:
Thu 25 Aug 2022, 8:45 pm
But I'd say the Iranian kc707 is very rare undeed here
When did Iran becme part of the West??? :rofl:

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iainpeden
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by iainpeden »

Gregson wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 11:16 am
toom317 wrote:
Tue 23 Aug 2022, 6:18 pm
Brazilian P3 at Lossie for JMC April 2013.
Is Brazil "Western", surely South American!?
iainpeden wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 9:32 am
Tommy wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 8:35 am
Apologies if this has already been said, and not to get too conspiratorial, but perhaps the rarest western military type to visit these shores is a type we don’t know about, or don’t know has visited 👀
You mean the a/c that crashed at Boscombe, was very quickly sheeted over and disappeared back to the USA in a C-5; Aurora or a never disclosed variant of the YF-23?

Speedbird -you're right. A thread we can have a decent chat on and (surely!!!!) not argue!
Yawn which we all know wasn't actually anything secretive (or the YF-23) at all. That story has been proven incorrect over and over.
Really?- maybe my relation who was on duty that night and saw everything was having a dream.
(But if I told you anymore .........- well, I guess you know the ending to that phrase. :wink:

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aviodromefriend
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by aviodromefriend »

Gregson wrote:
Fri 26 Aug 2022, 11:22 am
AndyXH558 wrote:
Thu 25 Aug 2022, 8:45 pm
But I'd say the Iranian kc707 is very rare undeed here
When did Iran becme part of the West??? :rofl:
Not in the timeframe given in this thread, but it was seen as such before the revolution (which is why they got and still fly Tomcats).
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Re: The rarest Western military type to visit the UK

Post by GeeRam »

Just within the 30 year period since final visit, and it was hardly a regular visitor anyway......RAAF F-111?