Message posted by Skeet (Member since 06/29/2022) on September 22, 2023 at 6:34:21 PST:
Completely missed that thread. Thanks for sharing, some great insights/ideas in there. RAF Akrotiri is an interesting candidate, although not that secluded. The U-2s have been based there for decades. Some of my friends visited the base in the mid-2000's and were given a tour of the U-2s and their hangars. They're based here: 34°35'15.60"N, 32°59'9.73"E. Notice the additional security fence around the hangars. Akrotiri's geographical location would make for a fantastic FOB to launch missions into Russia, the Middle East or Africa. The Saudi Umm al Melh base is very isolated indeed. The hangar complex appears to have a large wall around the perimeter with sliding gates. The entrance taxiway gap is 115ft wide and the hangars are only 90ft. That wouldn't fit a Globe Hawk or an RQ-180 if the rumoured wingspan of 130ft is correct. However, the base does look perfectly setup for 65ft wingspan MQ-9 ops. The most recent sat image date Jan, 2023 shows one being refuelled outside one of the hangars.
In Reply to: Re: Beale, Guam and the RQ-180 posted by Q-nimbus on September 22, 2023 at 2:16:55 PST:
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