# Aircraft Identification at Hickam AFB **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2018, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706 "2018-07-11T08:49:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/1 "2018-07-11T08:49:17Z")
Here’s the google maps link: https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=21.332324,-157.9548075&z=16&output=embed&dg=ntvb&q=Daniel%2BK.%2BInouye%2BInternational%2BAirport The Air Force Base flight lines/ramps are slightly WNW of the commercial airport. Directly North of the 8L runway on the pad are: 2 - KC-10s facing west 3 - KC-135s facing them to the east Is that a C-5A on the ramp with them? I don’t think it’s a C-17, there are a number of C-17s (7 I believe) with different sensors?/commo on top of the fuselage. To the west of Charley’s Philly Steaks Sandwiches are ten (10) P-3s. One has a different paint scheme. Why or what service uses that scheme? Finally (easy) spot the U-2. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/2 "2018-07-11T11:34:14Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > To the west of Charley’s Philly Steaks Sandwiches are ten (10) P-3s. One has a different paint scheme. Why or what service uses that scheme? Navy has a Special Projects Patrol Squadron (VPU-2) that uses P-3s, that are somewhat distinct from the maritime patrol aircraft. I’ll leave it to you to do the math there. Navy is the only Service in the U.S. that uses P-3s in any variant. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/3 "2018-07-11T11:48:38Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Is that a C-5A on the ramp with them? If you examine the shadow cast by the aircraft, you can easily see that it has a raised nose door assembly, indicative of a C-5. The C-17 only has an aft cargo door. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/4 "2018-07-11T14:57:41Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > Navy has a Special Projects Patrol Squadron (VPU-2) that uses P-3s, that are somewhat distinct from the maritime patrol aircraft. I’ll leave it to you to do the math there. > > Navy is the only Service in the U.S. that uses P-3s in any variant. I’m guessing the one in different paint scheme might be a UP-3A or other non-combat variant. Because it lacks the Magnetic Anomaly Detector tail boom of std P-3C’s or radomes on top that the ‘overt’ electronic recon EP-3E’s have. And the covert VPU a/c usually have the tail boom, to make them harder to recognize. Dark upper wings and tail surfaces is a ‘legacy’ paint scheme sometimes also seen on regular P-3C’s in recent years but again no MAD boom on this one. ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/5 "2018-07-11T15:50:18Z")
I believe the white quad is an E-6B [Link to Airliners.net](http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA-Navy/Boeing-E-6B-Mercury-707-300/2803422?qsp=eJwtjEEKAkEMBP%2BSsx5E2MPe9AN68AMxaXRxdYYkoMOyfzcO3qq7oBaS8gp84tIqaCQHm9xpQ5WNn07jQg%2B0dzFNJmyHazovFseWWzlwEEEN6P8/mcJ%2BCi49c8vsLgF27kz7IX%2BdvM7cGwieZlrXL8xFLcU%3D) ---
**Author:** ![JHBoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/13edae/32.png) [@JHBoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHBoom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/6 "2018-07-12T00:30:09Z")
The image I’m seeing from your link must be from a different day - there are no P-3s or KC-10s on any of the Hickam ramps in the image I’m seeing. No U-2 either. I’m seeing a C-5, a few transient C-17s and KC-135s, and a bunch of resident C-17s, KC-135s, and a couple F-22s. A few C-130s, an E-6B, and a couple “white jets” round out what I’m seeing. Bear in mind that RIMPAC is going on right now, so imagery from the last couple days will have many more transient airframes on Hickam (many of which will be foreign military aircraft) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/7 "2018-07-12T01:07:14Z")
My guess: AP-3C because of the slightly different wing. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/8 "2018-07-12T04:22:53Z")
Is this how Russia outsources their intelligence photo interpretation work? I an curious who decided what items get to be blurred around the one aircraft… ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/9 "2018-07-12T05:11:58Z")
> [@JHBoom](#): > > The image I’m seeing from your link must be from a different day - there are no P-3s or KC-10s on any of the Hickam ramps in the image I’m seeing. No U-2 either. > I’m seeing a C-5, a few transient C-17s and KC-135s, and a bunch of resident C-17s, KC-135s, and a couple F-22s. A few C-130s, an E-6B, and a couple “white jets” round out what I’m seeing. > > Bear in mind that RIMPAC is going on right now, so imagery from the last couple days will have many more transient airframes on Hickam (many of which will be foreign military aircraft) I get a different image depending on whether I’m on my iPad or the PC. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/10 "2018-07-12T06:58:48Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I get a different image depending on whether I’m on my iPad or the PC. Weird. I’m still getting the same (old?) one. Good catch on the missing tail boom on the “odd” P-3. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/11 "2018-07-12T08:16:42Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Weird. I’m still getting the same (old?) one. Good catch on the missing tail boom on the “odd” P-3. The PC version has 3D models but the iPad version is pure photograph. ---
**Author:** ![DETXL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/detxl/32/19366_2.png) [@DETXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DETXL)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aircraft-identification-at-hickam-afb/817706/12 "2018-07-12T16:16:53Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Weird. I’m still getting the same (old?) one. Good catch on the missing tail boom on the “odd” P-3. I think that might just be an artifact of how they’re converting the satellite image into a pseudo-3D model? Presuming I’m looking at the same one (the bottommost P-3) it looks like the _shadow_ is being cast from something with the MAD boom, it just isn’t reflected in the height-map mesh.