Chania (Souda Bay) LGSA 2016 MIL

[Bennie]

March 14th visitor: RCH1017 (reported as 87-0041).

[Bennie]

May 12th visitor: RCH442. ADS-B says 89-1188.

[Bennie]

Those in the area on June 14th may have seen the following:

CATBRD1 (165151)
CNV6145 (900530)
CNV6390 (164762) (2x)
OLIVE76 (00347)
RG01 (162162)
RG02 (162144)
RRR9902 (ZH870)
SHACK41 (162801)

[minotaur]

Some additional info on "SHACK41", since the way it is written it looks like a USN serial (BuNo). The aircraft flying these days under this callsign is a King Air 350, with Beechcraft logos and number 16-2801 on its tail.

[AK01]

Some additional info on "SHACK41", since the way it is written it looks like a USN serial (BuNo). The aircraft flying these days under this callsign is a King Air 350, with Beechcraft logos and number 16-2801 on its tail.

Very interesting! Found out this is cn FM-25, former N250AA, was checked last week at Glasgow acc. Fightercontrol.

[ebauer]

25/7

T.17-./47-.. Boeing 707-368C Ala47

This beauty arrived around 21.30LT and was being parked in a corner of the civil part of this 'aerodromio'.

[andrewn]

19-Aug:

KC10 91951 TRAVIS
RC135 ZZ664 & 64-844/OF
P3C 161586/586 VP40
EP3E 157318/318 VQ1
ATR42 N315CR

[andrewn]

21-Aug:

Present at around 19:00 local time:

RC-135U 64-14849/OF bk
RC-135V 64-14844/OF bl
RC-135 ZZ664 51Sq
EP-3E 157318/318 VQ1

[Trabanti]

Noted here Oct 19 & 20 were:

87-204/MO F-15E 389 FS
90-243/MO F-15E 391 FS
ZZ664 RC-135W 51 Sqn 100 years
11462 C-130J-30 115 AS
4122 C-27J 354 Mira
N176RA DHC-7 US Army
165314/JW C-130T VR-62

F-16Cs:
500 343 Mira
503 343 Mira (Zeus rudder, demo 19 Oct)
508 343 Mira
509 343 Mira
526 340 Mira
527 343 Mira
533 340 Mira (demo 20 Oct)

F-16Ds:
605 340 Mira
610 340 Mira
616 343 Mira

A lot more was seen, these were just taken from the camera. I missed at least 2 (March?) KC-135s, an (M?)H-47 and quite a few local F-16s. Will post some photos after I return home.

Cheers, Bart

[Trabanti]

Still present on the 24th with no activity around them were the 2 Mountain Home Strike Eagles and the RAF Airseeker (the latter seems to be more or less permanently detached here, though it doesn't fly daily). Noted additionaly (not read/photographed) were a civil C-130(B, according to Flightradar, arrived on Sunday). The USN C-130T left today.

On the Greek side 4 Chinooks (temporary based too I guess, as I saw one fly a week ago), an S-70B and a large number of F-16s (one of which was 521, not seen before by me here). The Greek F-16s fly in the weekends too (at least, at the moment, maybe less so during the summer period).

A (dumped?) Greek A-7 is visible on the US side, from the small gate in the northeast corner. Furthermore the well-known Thunderstreak and line of T-birds on the south-west end of the runway, as well as one T-33 preserved midfield (visible only from the air, e.g. during take-off).

In the port of Souda is docked USS Wasp (LHD-1) with its deck packed with Ospreys, Harriers, MH-53s and MH-60s.

Regards, Bart

[Mutly]

Still present on the 24th with no activity around them were the 2 Mountain Home Strike Eagles and the RAF Airseeker (the latter seems to be more or less permanently detached here, though it doesn't fly daily). Noted additionaly (not read/photographed) were a civil C-130(B, according to Flightradar, arrived on Sunday). The USN C-130T left today.

On the Greek side 4 Chinooks (temporary based too I guess, as I saw one fly a week ago), an S-70B and a large number of F-16s (one of which was 521, not seen before by me here). The Greek F-16s fly in the weekends too (at least, at the moment, maybe less so during the summer period).

A (dumped?) Greek A-7 is visible on the US side, from the small gate in the northeast corner. Furthermore the well-known Thunderstreak and line of T-birds on the south-west end of the runway, as well as one T-33 preserved midfield (visible only from the air, e.g. during take-off).

In the port of Souda is docked USS Wasp (LHD-1) with its deck packed with Ospreys, Harriers, MH-53s and MH-60s.

Regards, Bart

Just had a look at some offical Navy Photographs on Flickr from her arrival, and at least Three Ospreys's can be identified.
These are;

165946/EH-05
168228/EH-02
168326/EH-04

Plus an AV-8 on the portside betwen an Osprey and an MH-53, which i think is 164557/ ES-53

[Le Addeur noir]

You should of had VQ-1 EP-3E 135325 calling VVPR325 in from Rota an the 23rd.

[Trabanti]

Hi Mutly, thanks! I'm not a numbercruncher so did not attempt to read off any serials/codes. I had a long hard look at my photos but I cannot positively make out any. I counted 6, possibly 7, AV-8Bs on deck, all with the yellowish "chevronned" rudder. I feel uncomfortable in posting those photos here (400mm x1.6, frame-filling picture of the entire vessel), as the whole area around Souda Bay is sealed off with warning signs against photography. Nevertheless, there are some interesting vantage points to be found, but you're still over 2 miles away looking over water, so expect some haze. For example: from the National Road between Chania and Rhetymnon (E75), just follow the small winding road up the mountain leading to the village of Zacharias (after the town of Kalami when coming from the east). On this road, after the 2nd hairpin curve, is a good spot to park the car and see any traffic approaching as you stand behind a tree to observe unnoticed.

I was not near the base on the 23rd, but on the afternoon of the 24th there was no Orion present, unless it was inside a hangar. Too bad, was hoping for an EP-3 here..

[Le Addeur noir]

Souda Friday 28th October visitor,

156529 -529 EP-3E VQ-1 VVPR529 dep 29th to EGUN

[Le Addeur noir]

Souda Saturday 29th October visitor,

165829 -829 C-40A VR-58 CNV6941 from LICZ to LERT