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Gerjon | חריון | غريون | ኼርዮን (Deactivated) Profile picture
Gerjon | חריון | غريون | ኼርዮን (Deactivated)
@Gerjon_
Deactivated | ✈️ Aircraft Tracker | 🛰️ Image Analyst | 🛬🔥 Ilyushin Il-76 fan | 🌍Focus on 🇦🇪UAE, Africa | Quoted by 🇺🇳, Washington Post, BBC, NY Times
Sep 7, 2023 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
I am puzzled about this flight track - IRGC-linked "Pouya Air" EP-PUS always tracks poorly on MLAT and suddenly pops up on full ADS-B, departing Crimea(!) with a super good signal, to later disappear around Moscow?

No tracks on other tracking websites make it extra suspicious>

Image
Image The track tweeted by @space_osint looked like a legit MLAT track at first - he checked with me before tweeting, so I don't blame him for anything. But it was ADS-B.

No positions on e.g. ADSBexchange or Radarbox.

Also, callsign "EPPUS" is not what we normally see used by EP-PUS. Image
May 31, 2023 • 6 tweets • 4 min read
On 23 May 2023, 2 former French Air Force @Armee_de_lair Airbus A340-200s (in service until 2020) left their storage in Indonesia.

@BabakTaghvaee1 later confirmed that they flew to Iran, and found 1 at 🇮🇷Chabahar Konarak Airport.

👉🏻26 May imagery indeed shows an A340-200 there. Image This means that Iran was again able to get its hands on a set of Airbus A340 aircraft, despite international sanctions (especially in Europe).

Something similar happened in late 2022 when 4x A340-300 flew to Iran from Johannesburg.
Dec 23, 2022 • 8 tweets • 7 min read
⚠️Super interesting, going on now: 4 ex-Turkish A340s, recently registered in 🇧🇫Burkina Faso as XT-AKK, XT-ALM, XT-AKB and XT-??? currently flying.

The first disappeared over 🇮🇷Iran -- known for avoiding aviation sanctions + A340 operator...

#MAN3808 #MAN3809 #MAN3810 #MAN3811 (screenshot is a handmade composite)

TC-JDM, TC-JDN, TC-JIH, TC-JII were apparently re-registered as 2-AVRA, 2-AVRB, 2-AVRC and 2-AVRD. They recently became the Burkina Faso aircraft mentioned above.

#MAN3808: #09C19E
#MAN3809: #09C195
#MAN3810: #09C19A
#MAN3811: #09C18D
Nov 13, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
What I can say about this article is that the "exclusive" "scoop" because of "An investigation by i" contains a lot of data identical to my earlier blog post and tweets, which I have been updating since late May 2022 (almost half a year ago) (thread) For example, they list EP-SIH, EP-PUS, EP-FAA and EP-ICD, all of which I also found and listed in May.

I published a list of 69 flights on 04 Nov 2022 and added a 70th flight on 10 Nov 2022, the exact same number presented in the article.

Nov 12, 2022 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
⚠️My earlier doubts about the role of "Mahan Air" Boeing 747-400 in the 🇮🇷Tehran to 🇷🇺Moscow airlift are justified:

These flights are available through Mahan's booking system, suggesting they are indeed passenger flights. Price is around 1,300-1,500 EUR one-way in economy class. ImageImage The return leg from 🇷🇺Moscow back to 🇮🇷Tehran is even more expensive, with rates around 3,000 EUR (!) for a one-way economy class flight. Business class is around 5,800 EUR.

Even 🇮🇷 Iran is a refuge for Russians now? ImageImageImageImage
Nov 8, 2022 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
Apparently Bosaso Airport in Somaliland is frequently being visited by "military aircrafts" (sic).

These aircraft are most likely "Fly Sky Airlines" from the 🇦🇪UAE. Their 🇺🇦UR-FSA* (508359) flew from the UAE to an unknown destination on 02, 03, 04, 05 and 06 Nov 2022. ImageImageImageImage *Flightradar24 has recently messed up and is now displaying both 🇺🇦UR-FSA and 🇺🇦UR-FSE as 🇺🇦UR-FSE.

According to ADSBx, the flights were in fact done by a hex 508359, which is 🇺🇦UR-FSA in my lists. They are visually virtually identical.

Confused yet?😁
Nov 8, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
"Aviacon Zitotrans" Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. 🇮🇷RA-76842 #AZS9003 flew from 🇷🇺Moscow Vnukovo to 🇮🇷Bushehr in Iran today - a destination that I haven't seen before. Oh, I messed up the flags there. 🇷🇺RA-76842 is of course Russian.
Oct 2, 2022 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
Over the past months, there have been major developments at Bosaso Airport, on a strategic location on the shores of the Gulf of Aden in Puntland:

1) a new 75x60 m shelter has been built;
2) the access road is now paved;
3) the runway has been stretched from 2400 m to 3200 m. Image At this moment I'm not really sure who's behind said developments, since I couldn't find it in any news reports.

The 🇦🇪UAE are known to have previously developed airports in the region.
Aug 27, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
⚠️New blog post!
🇪🇹Ethiopian Air Force (EtAF) published a whiteboard map of the alleged An-26 shootdown:

1) EtAF story is incomplete;
2) Map seems very realistic;
3) An-26 picture made by Bayraktar TB2, likely in Tigray;
4) further evidence still needed👇🏻
gerjon.substack.com/p/shot-down-or… Georeferenced map (left) and digitized routes (right) of the 🇪🇹Ethiopian Air Force whiteboard map presented.

Alleged An-26 entered Ethiopia 01:50 h before the incident and may have even landed at Mekele before being shot down after take-off, something that EtAF chose not to say.
Jul 30, 2022 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
.@Africa_In_EN's recent paywalled article says 🇷🇺Russia suspects 🇦🇿Azerbaijani weaponry is delivered to 🇺🇦Ukraine via 🇸🇩Sudan.

They mention the 🇸🇩Khartoum-🇵🇱Rzeszów airlift I identified in April and identify 9 flights by "Green Flag Aviation" 🇸🇩ST-GFL*, mapped here. [THREAD 1/5] *[image source: Kayra Duyan, Planespotters: planespotters.net/photo/1262882/…]

According to the article, the route of the 🇦🇿Azerbaijani weaponry could be 🇦🇿Baku → 🇸🇩Khartoum (on GNF) → 🇵🇱Rzeszów (on UIA) → 🇺🇦Ukraine (over road?) [2/5]
Jul 29, 2022 • 5 tweets • 5 min read
Not sure why, but sure enough: a 🇨🇬Congo Government Ilyushin Il-76TD (🇨🇬TN-AFS) was spotted at 🇧🇷Aeroporto Internacional dos Guararapes - Recife in Brazil yesterday.

Other pictures confirm photo date is 28 Jul 2022.

Instagram pictures by pocket_alicya: instagram.com/p/CgkWTn4Jxbm/ Additional pictures of 🇨🇬TN-AFS on ground at 🇧🇷Aeroporto Internacional dos Guararapes - Recife in Brazil.

Instagram pictures by pocket_alicya: instagram.com/p/CgkZqkkvw5A/
Jul 28, 2022 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
⚠️It looks like "Fly Sky Airlines" 🇰🇬EX-76006 #FSQ4921 flew from 🇦🇪Sharjah, UAE to 🇪🇹Harar Meda Military Airport in Ethiopia, the main base of the Ethiopian Air Force.

2021 had >100 flights from 🇦🇪UAE to 🇪🇹Ethiopia, carrying suspected military equipment, most to 🇪🇹Harar Meda. Image Read all about that airlift here: gerjon.substack.com/p/the-uae-ethi…
Apr 27, 2022 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
🇺🇦 In late Mar 2022, two Ukraine International Airlines aircraft returned to service: 🇺🇦UR-PSI and 🇺🇦UR-PSL.

Since then, 🇺🇦UR-PSI did *15 FLIGHTS* between 🇸🇩Khartoum and 🇵🇱Rzeszów (🇺🇦Ukraine aid hub), visting the military apron at KRT, and got hidden on tracking sites. [THREAD] Starting on 19-20 Apr, 🇺🇦UR-PSI is now blocked on all major tracking websites: @RadarBox24, @flightaware and @flightradar24. In contrast, sister aircraft 🇺🇦UR-PSL remains visible.

🇺🇦UR-PSL is based in 🇲🇩Chisinau and flies to other destinations (no 🇸🇩Khartoum and no 🇵🇱Rzeszów).
Mar 17, 2022 • 9 tweets • 9 min read
Three Russian Government aircraft heading east out of 🇷🇺Moscow:

Tupolev Tu-214PU 🇷🇺RA-65432 #RSD078
Tupolev Tu-214SR 🇷🇺RA-64516 #RSD079
Airbus A319CJ 🇷🇺RA-73025 #RSD072 A 4th aircraft (using Mode-S - there could be more out there!) appeared now:

Tupolev Tu-204-300 🇷🇺RA-64058 #RSD003

Judging by side windows, all four aircraft should have a passenger configuration.
Mar 16, 2022 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
Russian Military Il-76MD reg. 🇷🇺RA-78796 flew from deep into Russia (🇷🇺Ulan-Ude?) to 🇧🇾Belarus (?) today: #RFF9923.

Note that tracking websites are unable to see the majority of this sort of flights, and I haven't tweeted all.
Another flight #RFF9923 from far east currently up over 🇷🇺Russia is 🇷🇺RA-78818, now also heading west.
Mar 14, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Some of my observations around @il_kanguru's find:

An aircraft can be seen crossing the 🇷🇺Russia-🇺🇦Ukraine border (white line), proven by a contrail (dashed yellow line), turning left around Khomutove (DPR).

3-4 km further west, 2? fast-moving objects can be seen - Air Defence? Image We can see that the unknown phenomenon consists of two pairs of RGB lines, so we are looking at white trails.

I think that the sharp end on the east end and the fuzzy end on the west end suggests that the objects are not heading away from the aircraft but rather towards the ENE.
Mar 4, 2022 • 5 tweets • 5 min read
The Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Antonovs An-26/An-32 are again on the move, further away from 🇺🇦Ukraine, flying from 🇵🇱Bydgoszcz into 🇩🇪Germany.

🇺🇦04 Blue #50FF9B
🇺🇦32 Black #50FF3C
🇺🇦33 Black #50FF3E

🇺🇦01 Blue #50FFB6 is not yet showing. Looks like they're landing near 🇩🇪Stuttgart, Germany.
🇺🇦04 Blue #50FF9B
🇺🇦32 Black #50FF3C
🇺🇦33 Black #50FF3E
Mar 3, 2022 • 4 tweets • 5 min read
An Armee de l'Air (French Air Force) Airbus A400M is currently landing at 🇵🇱Rzeszów, Poland: 🇫🇷0062 #CTM2058. A Royal Netherlands Air Force C-130H Hercules (🇳🇱G-988 #NAF31) is approaching 🇵🇱Rzeszów in Poland. This airport is the likely hub for military aid for 🇺🇦Ukraine.
Mar 2, 2022 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
Some of today's military cargo flights to 🇵🇱Rzeszów in Poland earlier today, the likely hub for military cargo destined for 🇺🇦Ukraine:

Turkish Air Force 🇹🇷17-0080 #TUAF612
Belgian Air Force 🇧🇪CT-01 #BAF637
NATO SAC 🇭🇺01 #BRK32 ImageImageImage One more:

Italian Air Force 🇮🇹MM62178 #IAM4665 Image
Mar 2, 2022 • 6 tweets • 5 min read
A "Fly Sky Airlines" (known for their airlift supporting the 🇪🇹Ethiopia Civil War) Ilyushin Il-76 flight 🇺🇦UR-FSC #FSU4845 carrying 🇺🇳UNHCR aid to 🇲🇩Moldova disappeared from tracking over 🇷🇴Romania.

This Refugee Agency cargo might be related to the situation in 🇺🇦Ukraine? ImageImageImageImage For my new followers: here's a background article about them.
Feb 28, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
A 🇺🇲United States Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent is up near 🇱🇾Benghazi, Libya. "The RC-135U Combat Sent provides strategic electronic reconnaissance information (...). Locating and identifying foreign military land, naval and airborne radar signals, the Combat Sent collects and minutely examines each system, providing strategic analysis for warfighters."