does anyone know what they fly out of Whiteman AFB these days? I remember in the early 00's it was B2 Bombers and I think A-10's. I never seen anything on ADSB in and out of Whiteman but i hear radio traffic on KC Center. i just heard a plane talking about taking the refuel track AR-309 and then on to Whiteman. but i see nothing on there. Also why does the mil traffic use VHF ATC instead of UHF ATC? i thought the UHF was for military?
No idea about Whiteman, but the frequencies are used because it's safer if everyone is on the same page most of the time. I can't talk about the US today, but I can talk about Germany in the 1990s. Military traffic was using normal ATC frequencies most of the time because they were flying in an airspace that was also used by civilian traffic. Even the restricted airspaces could be crossed by civilian traffic if it was cleared to do so. If both military and civilian traffic could hear what's going on, it provided for a safer environment. (I think direct tanker<->client communications was done on UHF, though)
if it was a B-2 you heard, B-2's are exempt from using Mode S or Mode 3 civilian modes, due to their highly classified systems. The reason they use VHF Air, is because unless they are talking about something or directly to a Military Tower, they are still under the Rules, Regulations and Standard Operating Procedures of the FAA. They cannot just only talk to their Military Towers, the FAA has authority over them while stateside and thus, non-restricted communications such as just flying around or operating outside of OPSEC Conditions, they have to talk to civilian FAA facilities.
