Help Id an airplane (not as easy as you think)

Ok me and a buddie of mine were doing takeoffs and landings in Grand forks and low and behold what is practicing approaches, a 747 jumbo (a very very unusual ocasion in GFK) we didnt think a whole lot of it until after the flight was done when taxiing back in we asked ground what was that 747? his response was as follows "its a 747 i cant tell you anything else" then when we proded him further he gave up info that it was doing practice approaches at the Red River airforce base (9 miles west) and he was asked if he wanted to try another airport. So now my curriousity is peaked and I need to know wtf it was.

Description is as follows
747-100 (only 3 or 4 windows on top deck)
All white with a lone blue stripe down the lower deck windows.
Some sort of strange contraption on the top (remarked to look like a hood scoop)
Call sign began with a B or a G or a D (or somthing similar)
In Grand Forks ND about 9:40-10:00 on 12-16-08
Shot multiple practice aproaches

I know its vague but the only thing that I can think of is that It could have been the 747 that carries the Space Shuttle as we didnt get a good look at the tail and it would be making the return trip from florida back to cali, but what it would be doing way up here i dont know. Im not trying to be a conspiracy theorist here but im wracking my brain to figure it out any help??

Now NA911N the aircraft carrying the endeavor has not filed any flight plans that I can find (not saying much for a gov aircraft) and is not showing up in and flight tracking software.

 

It might be the 747 they are using to test the Laser missile defense system on. I'm not kidding by the way

I'll look for a link and post it, when I find one.

 

There is not a Red River AFB as far as I know - there is Grand Forks unless the name changed.

Sounds like the Airborne Laser 747

Saw it once at Boeing field.

 

Found a pic of it:


EDIT: Here is a gizmodo article on it

http://gizmodo.com/5100377/boeing-airborne-laser-weapon-fires-for-the-first-time
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Yeah i saw the Airborne laser and as a matter of fact that was one of the first things i thought of but the laser system aircraft has that huge bulbousy nose that i didnt notice and it doesnt have a blue stripe. But it was night.


Also red river AFB is what GFK AFB is its just that red river is the name of the airfield and the base is grand forks (really convaluded and stupid but thats what it is) Identifier KRDR base name Grand forks.

 

Could have also been one of the Command Post 747s. In the past they were kept at Andrews partially hidden behind the trees. They have in-flight refueling connections that could be the hump you noticed.

Jeff

 

NACP (formerly NEACP - National Emergency Airborne Command Post). There's a couple based at Offut in Omaha, which would make sense. Here's a pic from 2006 when AF1 blew some tires landing somewhere in southeast asia and it was called in:
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Waaait .... so NACP (or NEACP) .... is this the thing they call "Kneecap" in all the Clancy books?

 

Yessir!

 

Good to know, thank you!

 

It was also referred to as the "doomsday" plane since it is designed to serve as the presidential command post during a full nuclear war. Heard it has an ultra low level frequency communication system so it can communicate with submerged subs.

Jeff

 

The aircraft with the blue stripe is a command post 747. The refueling receptacle is the small bump just aft of the pressure bulkhead near the white nose radar dome. The large fairing on the hump is an antenna, I believe.
In 1978 I was a member of the proposal team that designed the original AOA system (Airborne Optical Adjunct) on the 767 prototype that carried a huge and heavy Laser telescope in a dorsal fairing forward and umpteen tons of equipment that damn near brought the airplane to its knees. Now it is in a 747. The shuttle carrier can't be mistaken with the 10' X 20' fins on the horizontal tail and the fittings pads on the upper fuselage. I worked on a lot of that stuff.

 

On the laser 747 I remember that it was going to have a huge fuselage hole in C or D zone with some sort of rotating cover. Did they build it that way? At the time I kept thinking that it would make a nice place for the fuselage to break into 2 pieces. The engineering firm that was/did work on that hole was in San Antonio and would have been around 1998/1999.

Bob: I remember seeing the 767 AWACS that some of the time sat at Boeing Field in the 1999/2000 time frame.

Jeff

 

I have lost track of what has gone on at the Big Kite Factory. I know that there have been several AWACS airplanes at the south end of the field at different times. The 767 AOA sat at the field for years as they worked on the complexities of the laser system and supporting systems. I believe that they have redesigned the laser telescope and it operates out of the nose instead of from an opening in the side of the fuselage.It is or was a very heavy piece of equipment with exotic operating requirements. GEEZE, I just realized that was 31 years ago...when I was a kid of 53.

 

I hadnt even considered one of the kneecap flights.... that actually seems pretty close!

Any idea what kind of a call sign they use?

 

Those command post planes are classified as E4-B. They are based in Omaha, Nebraska.

There are/(were) four of them. They may well have cut back on this effort after the Bush One stand down orders for SAC.

 

SecDef occasionally uses one for transport, so I'd imagine that there are still a couple around.

Edit: As of 2005, there were still 4 of them around - http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=16996

 

Yup. I happen to have had the chance to be on board one of them for a product demo. There really are red telephones - can't say more.

 

Very interesting -


SERVICE: Air Force

DESCRIPTION: The E-4B aircraft serves as the national emergency airborne command post.

FEATURES:
The E-4B, a military version of the 747-200, is a four-engine, long-range, high-altitude aircraft. In case of national emergency, it provides a modern, highly survivable, command center from which to direct U.S. strategic forces. The main deck is divided into functional compartments including work areas, conference room, briefing room, operations and rest areas. The E-4B crew may include up to 114 people, including a flight crew and operations, maintenance, security and communications teams. The E-4B has enhanced nuclear, thermal and electromagnetic pulse protection and a wide variety of new communications and other technical systems.

INVENTORY:
Four

BACKGROUND:
The E-4B evolved from the E-4A, which had been in service since late 1974. The first B model was delivered to the Air Force in January 1980. Conversion of three E-4 aircraft to B models was completed in March 1985. ACC provides air crew, maintenance, security and communications support. The Defense Department's Joint Staff controls E-4B operations and provides personnel for the airborne command center. To provide direct support to the national command authorities, at least one E-4B with a fully manned battle staff is always on alert at one of many selected bases throughout the world.

 

Don't think I've seen the airborn laser yet but my office looks right at KIAB and coincidentally is shared with Boeing's IDS group so we seem Airforce 1 regularly and the dreamlifter is a sight to see. It looks like the C5 in a sense that you don't think the dang thing is moving...BJ