Yesterday afternoon, RAF Mildenhall spotters were treated to a few rare movements. Starting off was an AC-130W Stinger II (which unfortunately landed at Mildenhall about a minute before I arrived!...), this was then followed by the newer AC-130J which is seen at the start of this video. For those that aren't aware, the AC-130 is the 'attack' variant of the successful C-130 Hercules aircraft. It is known for its rather large weapons protruding out of the fuselage! The aircraft is referred to by many as the 'Gunship' but the official names, depending on the variant are 'Spectre', 'Spooky', 'Stinger II' & 'Ghostrider'. The remaining variants in active service are the latter two.

After the AC-130s, there were a few more 'regular' movements before the next rare one including an RC-135W and a KC-135R (which are seen at the end of the video).

The second aircraft seen in the video is the other rare movement - the E-3G Sentry. An aircraft very noticeable with the large rotating disk on top of the fuselage, and as it turns out, quite noisy with its old Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-100 turbofans!

Aircraft in video:

Aircraft: Lockheed AC-130J Ghostrider
Registration: 18-5905
Operator: US Air Force
Callsign: RCH1039
Arrived at: 1545 hrs

Aircraft: Boeing E-3G Sentry
Registration: 80-0139
Operator: US Air Force
Callsign: SHUCK80
Arrived at: 1742 hrs

Aircraft: Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint
Registration: 62-4139
Operator: US Air Force
Callsign: OLIVE39
Arrived at: 1620hrs

Aircraft: Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker
Registration: 60-0315
Operator: US Air Force
Callsign: RCH011 Heavy
Arrived at: 1717hrs

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