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Private jumbo jets fly US weapons for Ukraine to Europe

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Dover AFB is where commercial cargo planes are being loaded with lethal aid for Ukraine. (www.freightwaves.com) More...

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21voyageur
21voyageur 14
Also, the use of "private" is questionable but is a sneaky bit of lightweight click-bait. Same old. Same old. "Commercial" would be more appropriate.
jpatrix
patrick bloem 4
I was expecting to hear John Travolta was flying gear in. Click-bait indeed!
skylab72
skylab72 1
AAaviator
AAaviator 34
That is totally irresponsible and dangerous "journalism"! Why don't they just publish the complete manifest of each load, the carrier, tail number, its destination and ETA. And while they're at it, dox the crew too!
21voyageur
21voyageur 13
Agreed. Dangerous and irresponsible due to the site's very amateur approach.
CPAIR007
JASON AWID 5
EXACTLY !!
WilliamMonti
William Monti 2
AAaviator well said.
Bandrunner
Bandrunner 1
Away and not write utter rubbish.
Do you honestly think the Russians don't know about this?
AAaviator
AAaviator 1
Your first sentence is incomplete, and undecipherable. Your second sentence tells me, and anyone who has worked deeply within the framework of operational security that you have not.
kevinkeswick
Kevin Keswick -7
US government accounts publicly disclose these flights it's no big secret. The US government wants the Russia to know about all the lethal aid it is sending to the Ukraine. They are even boasting about giving Ukraine the intelligence to skink the Moscva and to blow out of the sky a Russian transport killing hundreds of Russian soldiers. The demented and dangerous Biden wants a hot war directly with Russia.
skylab72
skylab72 2
GAO accounts publicly disclose these flights it is not secret. The US government wants Russia to know about lethal aid being sent to Ukraine. The State Department OKed the release to Ukraine of intelligence that assisted in sinking of the Moscva and the downing of Russian aircraft because killing Russian soldiers is what defeating their world destabilizing aggression requires.
SIERRA09
Ed Crist 1
Really, demented? I'm guessing you are a Trump fan. Thank God we have a President who will stand up to the "demented" Putin, who is a dangerous, unstable, mentally deranged killer of innocent babies, children, women, and men. If it takes a hot war to rid the world of Putin, so be it.
AAaviator
AAaviator 1
A president (this president??) standing up to Putin? I'd ask if you are kidding, except sadly, I believe you are not. That is an unbelievable notion, and simply out of touch from reality. And then, to be so presumptuous as to automatically relegate anyone who expresses any measure of dissent from the lock-step narrative of the left as being a "Trump fan", and delivered in such a belittling, and mocking manner says more about your character than your ideas. This tribal instinct for a one-way, no middle ground, closed minded view-point while shutting down opposing viewpoints has got to end - on ALL SIDES! Now, I wouldn't have phrased my post in the same manner as Kevin Keswick did, not at all, but I gotta say, yours is no better. And that includes your continued snarky back-hands in the rest of the thread. Why are you so consumed with, and driven by disparaging sarcasm towards others who disagree with you?

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SIERRA09
Ed Crist 1
Thank you for your medical opinion, Dr. SkyAware123. The same could be said for most Republican members of Congress. Including the ex-President Trump.

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SIERRA09
Ed Crist 3
Thank you again Dr. SkyAware123 for your medical expertise. I will. I don't know what we would do without brilliant people like you to show us the true way.
overpar56
Steve Stein 4
Biden hasn’t said Covfefe once in 16 months.
ToddBaldwin3
ToddBaldwin3 11
Nothing really surprising. During OEF and OIF the Ramstein ramp often had as many commercial freighters as C-17s and C-5s.
ADXbear
ADXbear 19
Rediculous post! It's been obvious to this in aviation, some things just don't need extra attention for the world to read about, this the use of the word "security"
kevinkeswick
Kevin Keswick 1
This article didn't reveal any secrets. It's common knowledge that airlines like Atlas Air and National are being used to transport lethal aid to Ukraine. US Government social media accounts boast of this fact showing pictures of the planes being unloaded
DaJh
Da Ha 8
Some things are best left unsaid.
21voyageur
21voyageur 4
Agreed 100% so why was this posted? Sad comment. Hey Mr. FlightAware editor , , , if you exist , , , any comment?
DonDengler
DonDengler 0
It was a joke. Tongue in cheek
21voyageur
21voyageur -2
Sorry. However, you may want to consider indicating as such in order to differentiate yourself from the flock of nimrods that follow this site. Just saying.

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21voyageur
21voyageur -1
Mirror?
ewrcap
ewrcap 1
Poor Nimrod. He was a biblical character, great hunter and king of Mesopotamia. Not sure how he got the bad rap.
tonystreet
Tony Street 5
Where's Air America when we need them?
WilliamMonti
William Monti 5
Remember - “loose lips sink ships !”
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 1
Unfortunately, nowadays everyone thinks they need to know everything that goes on in the name of transparency. No, they do not.
21voyageur
21voyageur 4
Just another example of poor "journalism" from this site which is not what it was, and won't be anywhere near that going forward. The purchase of FlightAware has made this not much more than an aviation "rag" (for those who know that term from the past). What is served up as information on Friday mornings is just an aggregation of anything that the "contributors" trolling efforts find. No editorial direction or vision other than broadcast the noise and generate revenue from clicks.
LeanderWilliams
This government of ours allows too much information of things that do not need to be published, and not enough information on the things really important to publicize. Now Russia knows which airlines to target. I don't blame Flightaware because they are publishing established news. Let's pray for the crews of those planes that now can be considered in harm's way.
pokey1940
Arlene Joiner 6
The Russians have already shown us that they know what is going on here and you are giving them even more information! Whose side are you on? Play your (and our) cards close to your vest,
Warzochafrank67
I saw many airlines flying mail troops and freight during my tour in Viet Nam it's nothing new in fact I flew on World,Continental and Pan Am in and out of that war zone.

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WilliamMonti
William Monti 0
Except Putin is pushing the narrative we are at War with Russia. His pal the Pope blames NATO for the War on Ukraine - see a recent WSJ opinion piece.
NF2G
David Stark 2
Opinion pieces are not "news".
PeterAshby
Peter Ashby 5
"Loose lips, sink ships".
21voyageur
21voyageur 0
Small brains, devastate trains
21voyageur
21voyageur 2
Civilian aircraft is by design, serves other purposes, is cheaper than military uplift, but more so, the optics are very very different. Besides, commercial aviation is more than happy to take the business. Money talks.
21voyageur
21voyageur 2
The nukes have been on the continent for years. More tactical arms I would guess. Actually more of the same that has been sent earlier. Ammo, launchers, possibly anti-aircraft gear. Not a nice place to be these days. Armageddon-like with the west being the proxy at this point for little Ukraine.
WilliamMonti
William Monti 2
We need to remember that "LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS". This is such a case, never let the enemy know what you are doing.
DonDengler
DonDengler 6
Move our equipment out of Afghanistan left behind by Joe and transfer our billions worth of our equipment is over to Ukraine.
21voyageur
21voyageur 3
Uh,,, sorry to say that equipment is no longer accessible. If you forget, the USA pulled out and finders keepers. Unless, of course, you are suggesting that the USA re-occupy Afghanistan.
DTBMF
Daniel Gless 1
Other than trump said we were leaving more than a few months before HIS leaving...I saw no major movements of material out of Afghanistan. Or did you forget that tidbit of information?

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DTBMF
Daniel Gless 3
trump couldn't tell you what language they speak or where Bagram even was...or is. trump is clueless.
briansfreeman
Brian Freeman 2
If you've ever looked at the ADS-B tracking website and looked just at U.S. military aircraft in the air at any given time, you'll see a tremendous number of air assets (and many more aren't shown) including numerous C-17 and C-5 cargo planes.

Why do we need to pay private contractors to haul this gear when we have all these air assets constantly flying training sorties? I know private contractors can theoretically do the job cheaper, but when we've already got capable planes in the air and flying similar training sorties this makes no sense.
georgewilhelmsen
I have to agree with others. This is irresponsible journalism. It lends credence to Russia's concerns.

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ewrcap
ewrcap 4
Darn. I wanted to send a picture of Slim Pickens as Major T. J King Kong riding the nuclear bomb down. I lived through several near misses of WW3. Luckily, cooler heads than yours. prevailed.
21voyageur
21voyageur 3
Yeah, this tends to get the US military/gun-loving yahoos segment all excited/boned-up.

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21voyageur
21voyageur 0
Time for your meds but watch out for the goblins in the closet, demons under the bed, and the zombie behind that 1 oddly shaped curtain while on your way to get your clozapine.
mbrews
mbrews 2
No need to post this. Lookup " Operational Security "
ekulisch
Eric Kulisch 16
If you're saying it poses a risk to operational security someone should tell that to the Pentagon because they are being interviewed for the story and allowed the filming of the air cargo operations.
Cleffer
Cleffer 7
Yeah, that's equally as dumb.
ToddBaldwin3
ToddBaldwin3 1
Out of curiosity , how many people here have had DOD OPSEC training?
skylab72
skylab72 1
A Few...
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 1
I don't recall getting it, but knowing that I was on an exercise in Korea didn't matter, though I did have a roll of film confiscated.
ekulisch
Eric Kulisch 1
ghstark
Greg S 0
opsec is always a concern but I think in this case it's minimal.
Cleffer
Cleffer 5
I would disagree. Even with the simple flight tracking tools we have available to us now, we could track almost anything heading out of Dover in that general direction. Why risk it?
jptq63
jptq63 3
1) If Russia did shoot at any of these aircraft (not in Russian airspace…) would it not basically mean war…. Also, would not someone maybe keeping an extra close eye on these aircraft from time to time?

2) Regardless of being shoot at, flying with a bunch of explosive material in your belly might just make me far more concerned about any indigestion.

3) Given it is already known to Russia such material is being flown to Europe from USA, how hard would it be for Russia to not figure out, more or less, where the material will be originating from? I.e. not very likely JFK would let any of this stuff in the airport there (or just about anywhere in NY or a few other states, sorry, tried to avoid an opinion….) or at most other airports not already a military base.

4) Reading the article, what does make me more concern here, is that someone might figure out what trucks (non-military) are carrying what supplies (i.e. tractor trailer full of artillery shells) and an – ACCIDENT – happens with a Tesla on autopilot mode… a few times.
ghstark
Greg S 3
You've made my point I think. Using simple commercial flight tracking tools available for minimal cost Russia can track these and other flights. They already know about it, why can't we?
ekulisch
Eric Kulisch 3
Since these planes can be observed with flight trackers, or by people at the airport in Poland, and the planes aren't flying into a war zone because they are not going to Ukraine itself, it doesn't seem like Russia will learn anything it can't figure out on its own or that jeopardizes a mission. No one is publishing the flight times, arrival time, coordinates, etc.
AAaviator
AAaviator 3
That's a very naive and presumptuous remark. You clearly know very little, to nothing about operational security.
Cleffer
Cleffer 2
The issue is that Russia has already threatened to shoot down these very aircraft.
alevans51
WARREN EVANS 1
Should not be talking publicly about stuff like this.
Thompsor
Ron Thompson 1
Article like this are the kind that draw nations in to conflicts! Today, one doesn't know if it's made up or real!
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 1
While I have no issues with the freighters carrying goods to Ukraine, the need to blast his everywhere is irresponsible. Not everyone needs to know what is happening 24/5/365.
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 1
This...
21voyageur
21voyageur 1
Questionable article. Simply does not pass the "sniff test".

Where is the editorial board on such matters? Crickets. Yet again.
grafael
George Rafael 1
If this is fact or not, the consequence could be catastrophic. It makes civilian aircraft a target in a war. Also, if it's true, the Russians would not need this website to be the source of information. They know.

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ewrcap
ewrcap 2
God, I sure hope you’re not in charge of anything important that requires rational thinking, like flying an airliner or something. Your hypothesis has already been tested by MH17 and resulted in 298 deaths. I guess you just love the idea of mass slaughter.
grafael
George Rafael 2
Which part is bullshit? The danger to aircraft in a war zone civilian or otherwise?
fireftr
Dale Ballok 1
“Lethal” military equipment? Never heard that term used before! Makes it sound like a nuclear bomb! 💣
silvanocerboneschi
fully agreed
Wingrat
Wingrat 1
Really bad reporting. I completely agree with AAaviator.
It’s not going to benefit Ukrainian interests.. Even with spies probably around why allow confirmation. This info might be available were but blabbing like this …never!!
VMGR352
CRAF
WigzellRM
Ralph Wigzell 1
Not to mention that supplying Ukraine with arms is only going to prolong this conflict. Give Russia their buffet zone and they will stand down. How would the USA like it if Russia colluded with Mexico to set up nuclear weapons on the USA/Mexico border? In a statement of sheer hypocrisy, the two faced ScoMo is crying about the Chinese wanting to establish military bases in the Solomon Islands. What's the difference?
Jaime1949
why do we need to help them fight their war and send them money we have men and women that went to fight senseless wars for our country? they are the ones that should be helped.
kevinkeswick
Kevin Keswick -2
America has long had messed up priorities. Biden just gave another $33 billion to the corrupt Ukraine of which untold billions are going to end up in bank accounts for Zelensky and the children of corrupt US politicians. Meanwhile American soldiers who were gravely injured in these insane wars have to rely on private charities in order to reestablish a half-normal life.
DTBMF
Daniel Gless 1
You're a putin apologist. Seek kremlin work somewhere else.
jbermo
jbermo 0
Nothing makes better money for civilian heavy lifters than a nice little war!
chaswood
Previous posts are all appropriate and spot on. Irresonsible, unconscientious ... FA's editors, shame on you!!!
adeaton2
Art Deaton 0
JUST STUPID
NF2G
David Stark 0
Does this stuff really need to be publicized?

DOWNVOTE on the article.
ad1905
These private jumbo jet have been operating since the Viet Nam war nothing has changed
All funded by the CIA and a reckless administration
God help us
kevinkeswick
Kevin Keswick -2
More plane loads of weapons that Zelensky can sell on the black market. Most of these weapons will not get to the Ukraine forces as Russia has cut-off supply lines to the east.

All of the people on here worried that this "secret" info is being revealed should really be concerned that some of these weapons will fall into the hands of terrorists who could use them to blow commercial airliners out of the sky's over Europe. Once these lethal weapons cross into Ukraine the U.S. has no control over them - the Pentagon has admitted as much. We have seen this happen before. When the Obama admin shipped stinger missiles from Libya's weapons cache to "moderate rebels" (ISIS, Al Qaeda) in Syria some ended up into the hands of the Taliban who used them to shoot down US helicopters.
ToddBaldwin3
ToddBaldwin3 2
Can you show a verifiable source that Zelenski is selling weapons on the black market, or even plans to sell them?
kevinkeswick
Kevin Keswick 0
Link: https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/03/07/big-risk-of-weapons-vanishing-as-over-20-countries-send-arms-to-ukraine/

"Risk of weapons vanishing as over 20 countries send arms to Ukraine
Diversion to the black market was already a problem there. Now that the pipeline is flowing, there needs to be more controls."


Ukraine struggled with diversion before the Russian invasion, with civilians and soldiers alike funneling weapons into an expansive illicit weapons trafficking network. Although Ukraine ramped up investigations into the theft of military property in 2014, diversion of small and major arms persisted. A Small Arms Survey briefing on illicit arms flows in 2017, for example, found that, of the more than 300,000 small arms that disappeared from Ukraine from 2013 to 2015, only about 13 percent were ever recovered.

As a report from the Stimson Center notes, the risk of diversion of these war-fighting weapons is even higher for international weapons transfers. In fact, the Global Organized Crime Index found Ukraine’s role as a key link in the global arms trade has only grown since conflicts intensified in eastern Ukraine in recent years. This is a bad omen for the recent influx of international arms transfers. On February 28 alone, for example, Finland pledged to deliver 2,500 assault rifles, 150,000 cartridges for those rifles, and 1,500 single-shot anti-tank weapons; Norway donated up to 2,000 M72 anti-tank weapons; Croatia announced it would send $18 million worth of rifles, machine guns, and protective equipment; and the Italian Parliament is considering sending Stinger surface-to-air missiles, anti-tank weapons, machine guns, and counter-IED systems.
ToddBaldwin3
ToddBaldwin3 0
That’s good, but that is a risk analysis, not a proof of intention, which is how I interpret your assertion in the original post.
fireftr
Dale Ballok 0
Wow! Where’d you get all that detailed information? Work for the military, or something?

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

upchucked
Quick, someone just left the door to the nuthouse open .....
21voyageur
21voyageur 3
And they breed! ! ! !
trentenjet
trentenjet 2
Quit drinking the Kool-aid
mariofer
mariofer -1
Ain't none left. You drank it all

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sjpalmer
Steven Palmer -1
Well said Mr Alan Glover - the US Govt has been pushing and pushing for years and now they got their wish. Do check how many members of congress invested millions in the MIC in the years before this conflict started.
And let's not forget sleepy Joe's (more like comatose) son Hunter messing around in Ukraine and receiving pay-offs on behalf of his father
Criminals....? They are worse than that Hilary, and why she ain't locked up I will never understand!
21voyageur
21voyageur 0
And what are the qualifications that allow you to proselytize in such a manner?
WhiteKnight77
WhiteKnight77 3
If US arms were not making it to the troops, then how did a US Javelin anti-tank missile take out the newest Russian tank, a T90M only a couple of days after it entered the Ukraine?

https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-most-advanced-tank-in-service-destroyed-after-days-reports-2022-5
ghstark
Greg S 10
QAnon's morons ACTIVATE!
gdaley
Greg Daley 4
Someone forgot their meds.
jbsimms
James Simms 0
Ooooook. Whatever
ToddBaldwin3
ToddBaldwin3 0
Do tell us, where "somewhere else" is?

Can you provide verifiable references for your assertions?
4361ec
J. de Visser -1
AAaviator well said,don't publhis this.

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