Posted on 03/17/2022 7:31:25 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
A large fleet of VIP transport aircraft belonging to the Russian Special Flight Detachment “Rossiya” took off from Moscow Vnukovo Airport (VKO) in the early hours of March 17, 2022.
The detachment is tasked with transporting Russian government officials. According to Planespotters data, it operates 29 aircraft, most of which are Russian-made Tupolev Tu-214, Ilyushin Il-96 and Sukhoi Superjet 100.
At least 10 of these aircraft have been observed taking off from VKO starting at 8:48 AM MSK (5:48 GMT) and heading Eastwards on various flight paths.
The convoy was first noticed by Twitter user Manu Gomez, and independently confirmed by AeroTime with the use of flight tracking services Flightradar24 and ADS-B Exchange.
At approximately 9:14 AM MSK one of the airplanes, a communications relay aircraft Tu-214SR, registered RA-64516, entered a holding pattern south of Tumen.
It must be noted that a greater number of Russian governmental aircraft may be in the air, as it is currently unknown how many Special Detachment “Rossiya” aircraft are equipped with ADS-B transponders, and how many of them have not kept their transponders on.
UPDATE 03-17-2022, 13:30 (UTC +2): All the aircraft from the convoy have landed in various Russian cities since this article went to print. The first aircraft to take off, Tupolev Tu-214PU (reg. RA-64532), landed at 10:04 AM GMT in Novosibirsk (OVB), before taking off again 22 minutes later and heading back in the direction of Moscow
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(Excerpt) Read more at aerotime.aero ...
Jets travel in wings, squadrons, flights. Trucks travel in convoys.
One exception is the New York Jets who travel in a flush, as in a "flush of crap".
Well, there was Putin’s very strange speech yesterday.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do the same?
So many possibilities.
Yesterday Putin as much as threatened anyone not in lockstep- this could be somehow related?
“Jets travel in wings, squadrons, flights. Trucks travel in convoys.”
And ships! Don’t forget ships! :)
Taking their children on spring break trips?
@OAlexanderDK
A large exodus of private jets out of Moscow towards Dubai this morning too.
https://twitter.com/OAlexanderDK/status/1504416951518564360
Heading for the mountains safe fallout shelters....................
Reminds of those mob rubouts where the made man about to be whacked was invited to a sitdown.
“Taking their children on spring break trips?”
Nah, they’d go to where the sun and nudity prevail.
It’s aircraft ownership 101 to turn off flight tracking for some planes. For Governments, including ours, if you see it on flight tracker, that means they -want- you see it.
That is according to an opposition journalist. Not confirmed in any meaningful way.
“Hard to tell if they’re taking people out or bringing in special troops in to quell a possible coup d’etat.”
The smaller cities are much more loyal to Putin than Moscow/St Petersburg. If there is any uprising it will be by the urban elites in those two cities.
Most likely they are flying in loyalists from the sticks who won’t object to breaking the skulls of some Muscovites if that is needed.
Now exactly what that means is the question... pre-nuclear drill? Misdirection on diplomatic work? internal chaos? Airborne command and control lest WE nuke the in a surprise attack?
Lots of possibilities.
” For Governments, including ours, if you see it on flight tracker, that means they -want- you see it.”
That, or they just don’t care (which is scarier).
Yep...
Depends on whether Putin is in the cabin or tied to the wing.
Rumors of show trials starting next month for “traitors.” Putin was frothing at the mouth yesterday on Russian TV. A Stalinist purge is coming.
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