Atlas C1 over Portsmouth

Altas C1 has been flying over Southsea and Hayling Island for almost three hours now coming in fairly low over the coast. Probably something to do with radar checks on Portsdown Hill or maybe the Carrier in the naval base. No NOTAM in place?

Probably trying to “draw” something rude … :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: …

(Though not sure what. :man_shrugging:)

Radar calibration for the carriers systems though they usually use smaller fast jets or perhaps BAE are doing someting up in MISC (the thing that looks like spares from a type 45 plonked on top of the hill)

If it wasn’t for the Flightradar24 trace … I might have suggested they were testing a stealth mode for the A400M. :stuck_out_tongue:

A friend got some pics

Pic credit Gary Hawkins

Yes. the smaller jets were used usually on a Tuesday afternoon I think.

A good time to watch is when the SPAG are training in that area and parachuting things out the back into the Solent.

Turns out is was a test and evaluation flight by 206 Squadron who put UK defence heavy aircraft through their paces.

We see quite a bit of air traffic where I live, U2’s, B52’s, an occasional B2 Spirit and the C1’s as Fairfords only a few miles away. Not many fast jets though.
I see there’s going to be a visitor to Spithead in the near future, The G.R.Ford carrier is going to be a Very big grey blob out there and I guess that much of the support group will be in the harbour.
Shame there weren’t drones around when the Iowa came to visit, that was quite chunky!!

Best view of it is around the Stokes Bay area where they anchor the US carriers on visits.

Saw a few of them when I was living in Pompey, even managed to blag a visit to the JFK.

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Yes, saw that enter harbour, got some pics of it somewhere.