How's your top-down aircraft recognition?

[AndyJWest]

A Google satellite view of the apron at Edwards AFB South: Quite a mix!

 

Some are obvious, others not so. The tandem contraption at the left has to be Burt Rutan's work, I suspect. I think the green jet above it is some sort of surveillance aircraft, with radar pods or something similar on the wings. Not sure what the little white thing tucked under the tanker's wing is. Fairly sure I've identified almost all the rest.

 

Anyone else spotted any other interesting aircraft via Google satellite?

 

[Avimimus]

The little white thing reminds me a lot of a SAAB 105 (although the wings have less sweep and higher aspect). I'd be looking at designs with similar configurations. I agree that the regional (or private) jet converted for observation/surveillance/mapping is a bit harder.

[AndyJWest]

Spoiler alert: there's a list of likely suspects here, though it doesn't include all the aircraft in the photo.

 

My guess about the tandem thing being a Rutan design was right, anyway: it's the Scaled Composites Model 133-4.62 ATTT.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 10, 2024 by AndyJWest