Strange flight pattern over UK

Hi

I happened to come across this aircraft trail which seems rather unusual.
You can't see from the screen cap, but it has carried out the octagon circuit 3 times.

 

I've seen that one before looping around the south coast between Portsmouth and Worthing, looping up to Oxford.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raytheon_Sentinel

I presume they are practicing or spying on us. One way or the other an interesting one to look out for.

 

what abut the f35 lower down
they're quite cool

 

Had an F-35 go right over the house last night. In trail to a tanker, looked like she had been pulled from the states. Didn't get a read from the F35 until she got closer, thought it was just a tanker for the first 50 miles.

 

cool

 

here is the next plane delivered - registration number one higher
again, weird flight pattern

 

oh, by the way, that plane is a sentinel r1, so its probably testing reconnaissance systems or something like that

 

Hi,,
Hope you don't mind me jumping in to your discussion, I've seen this behaviour before, with a, I think, not sure, a Belgian Sentry on the smaller EC3 tracks over Marham.
Although the icon shows it as a EC3 Sentry it is actually a Bombadier Sentinal R1 as you all have quite rightly pointed out from No. 5sqn. Waddington, that's both 691 and 692.
Your siting of the F35 must have been cool Richard, I live not far from Marham and I used to see the Tornado's all the time but I have still to catch an F35, in fact I've not seen one since they have been here.

 

Did you say the icon was a ec3?
not trying to contradict, but i think it shows it as a sentinel?

 

it says GLEX, which i believe is adsbexchange's type code for the sentinel

 

if you look closely you can see the round radiator depicted on the top of the fuselage, none of the sentinal pictures show that part of the radar equipment, not a big deal just a passing comment. It says GLEX (which is correct for a sentinal) probably because that is what the programming has been told to show, you can see the radiator on SNAPSHOT01 as well, the name implies it's has a photographic role ?? I saw an icon that looked a bit like a Hawk earlier today and it was labelled a Ryan Air (RYR) wouldn't get many passengers in one of those.
On the subject of the Hawk did anyone catch the Hawk Viper the other day? I heard it on my scanner, give his a/c type but I couldn't see anything on the map.
I know the EC3 is the workhorse at the moment but I don't know the actual role of the sentinal, whether it's a testing platform, or used for maritime or even slowly taking over the EC3's job, a quick Google would answer that I guess.

 

i think the sentinel is a battlefield surveilance plane - role similar to JSTARS, rc135 (some variants), Shadow r1, and in some configerations, the mq9 reaper

 

ok, thanks for that, nice of you to reply.

 

At it again. SNPSHT01

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=43c09c&lat=51.809&lon=-2.281&zoom=7.4&showTrace=2020-08-26

 

It is absolutely not an E3 sentry. It is exactly what it says it is lol. Just saying.

 

I think you are referring to my last comments, I was only saying in total agreement with you that it was a Sentinal but the icon on the map was showing an E3 wiedehopf or someone must have put it right or the one I saw was a fluke.
Have you seen the tankers? eight of them took off from Mildenhall and formed a line astern, looked quite impressive, a lot of gas. They are all over the place now.
Happy Days

 

That should read Sentinel, slip of the brain.