[MilCom] F-21's Departing Amarillo

[Michael Comer]

The F-21's are from a company called Airborne Tactical Advantage Company,
or ATAC, one of several companies the military contracts with to provide
an aggressor role for dissimilar type ACM.

They often fly here on the East Coast using the DRAGON callsign
during exercises with units from Navy carriers.

When in the Florida area they base out of either NAS Jacksonville
or Cecil Field. 273.800 has been used for their base and air-air.

Mike Comer
Titusville, FL



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Douglass" <webbfeat at 1s.net>
To: <milcom at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 8:32 PM
Subject: [MilCom] F-21's Departing Amarillo


> Interesting sighting today.
> 
> Coming home  ( close to 7:00 PM CDT) I heard a loud noise that 
> sounded like two high-performance jets approaching. I've done so much 
> plain sighting that I can usually identify an aircraft just from it's 
> engine noise, but not this pair. engine pitch sounded somewhat higher 
> than the F-16s, B-1Bs and F-15s that are common in the pattern. 
> While I was stopped at a traffic light I caught site of them as they 
> flew directly overhead, at about two thousand feet. I was surprised 
> to see I could not readily identify them. From their plan forms they 
> looked sort of like F-106 Delta Darts, with a standard delta wing and 
> a single vertical tail. I rushed home and leafed through my Janes and 
> identified them as F21 Kafir. Unfortunately I did not have my scanner 
> with me so I didn't hear a callsign.
> 
> Wanting to make sure i had identified them correctly, I called the 
> local FSS (Tac-Air) and the woman at the desk said they had indeed 
> two F-21 Kafirs stop for a quick turn but they were not Israeli. They 
> said they bore U.S. Navy markings (she thinks NAS Oceana) and they 
> were enroute to Nellis.
> 
> Does anyone on this list know if Oceana is now flying F-21s?
> 
> -Steve Douglass
> -- 
> "There is no sin in getting knocked down. The real sin is in not 
> getting back up."
> ______________________________________________________________
> MilCom mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milcom
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/faq.htm
> Post: mailto:MilCom at mailman.qth.net