Aerial refuelers do not loiter. They rendezvous, off-load, and leave. Yet KC-135 and KC-46 tankers, U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft, and unmarked military traffic keep appearing above Kern County — often at civilian-visible altitudes, often for hours at a time. Every ping below is a public FAA ADS-B broadcast. The pattern is the story.
These are questions, not accusations. The evidence below is the reason the questions are being asked.
Filtered by callsign prefixes commonly assigned to USAF aerial refueling squadrons (PACK / ESSO / GOLD / SHELL / TEAM / BULL / QID / RCH / REACH / SPAR), strategic recon (DRAGON, HOMER, JAKE), airborne early warning (SENTRY), and heavy bombers / attack (BONE, DOOM, SLAM). Data straight from the FAA ADS-B feed.
| Callsign | Registration | ICAO | Pings | Days | Min alt (ft) | Avg alt (ft) | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNV4601 | 170042 | AE7458 | 155 | 6 | 425 | 16,254 | 36d ago |
| CNV836 | 165836 | AE1252 | 103 | 15 | 14,650 | 25,640 | 8d ago |
| CNV4899 | 169036 | AE571A | 65 | 14 | 19,000 | 34,456 | 19h ago |
| CNV4870 | 170041 | AE7457 | 63 | 9 | 16,550 | 29,503 | 3d ago |
| RCH1047 | 97-0048 | AE07FA | 52 | 2 | 450 | 11,105 | 105d ago |
| CNV4951 | 166694 | AE29FD | 49 | 7 | 14,075 | 24,013 | 3d ago |
| SPAR736 | 84-0124 | AE0191 | 48 | 2 | 2,200 | 3,650 | 108d ago |
| CNV4079 | 165829 | AE04D7 | 40 | 1 | 16,125 | 24,150 | 126d ago |
| CNV4865 | 165831 | AE04D9 | 38 | 9 | 16,650 | 28,594 | 19h ago |
| CNV4681 | 165832 | AE04DA | 32 | 3 | 17,375 | 35,081 | 70d ago |
| RCH231 | — | AE07F5 | 18 | 1 | 26,950 | 31,631 | 9d ago |
| SLAM93 | 04-4138 | AE1448 | 17 | 3 | 18,975 | 31,606 | 101d ago |
| CNV4865 | — | AE04D9 | 17 | 1 | 21,575 | 25,437 | 19h ago |
| SPAR544 | 86-0377 | AE01A4 | 15 | 1 | 18,975 | 19,652 | 29d ago |
| SPAR914 | 84-0125 | AE0192 | 15 | 2 | 2,200 | 2,555 | 36d ago |
| RCH2036 | 86-0022 | AE0573 | 14 | 1 | 37,000 | 37,000 | 123d ago |
| RCH5052 | 86-0016 | AE056D | 13 | 4 | 19,000 | 25,002 | 11d ago |
| CNV4899 | — | AE571A | 13 | 1 | 38,975 | 39,000 | 19h ago |
| DRAGON86 | 80-1076 | AE0957 | 12 | 1 | 45,000 | 45,000 | 21d ago |
| RCH2112 | 86-0026 | AE0577 | 10 | 1 | 37,000 | 37,008 | 121d ago |
| CNV3406 | 164995 | AE03E2 | 9 | 1 | 18,975 | 18,997 | 28d ago |
| SLAM81 | 97-0043 | AE07F5 | 8 | 2 | 3,425 | 12,741 | 37d ago |
| RCH525 | 08-8194 | AE2FA6 | 8 | 2 | 23,375 | 31,541 | 106d ago |
| SPAR540 | 84-0075 | AE016D | 8 | 1 | 2,175 | 3,281 | 63d ago |
| CNV4145 | 165835 | AE1251 | 8 | 1 | 38,000 | 38,000 | 127d ago |
Every aircraft the FAA registry or Mode-S database flags as military, ranked by ping count inside Kern County boundaries. Days = number of distinct calendar days that aircraft was overhead.
| Registration | ICAO | Callsign | Pings | Days | Min alt | Avg alt | Last seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N407KC | A4C786 | N407KC | 1,531 | 25 | 325 | 2,594 | 13h ago |
| 76-0158 | AE2650 | WAYLN46 | 1,116 | 27 | 725 | 6,841 | 28d ago |
| N793FS | AAC3B8 | NFX603 | 1,112 | 62 | 10,625 | 19,070 | 3d ago |
| N843FS | AB8B8C | NFX603 | 1,066 | 69 | 9,875 | 18,974 | 2d ago |
| 76-0161 | AE0944 | WAYLN98 | 971 | 50 | 375 | 7,208 | 21h ago |
| 76-0166 | AE2651 | WAYLN98 | 885 | 49 | 600 | 7,366 | 11d ago |
| 64-13302 | AE00AA | DRAG67 | 877 | 22 | 2,175 | 8,324 | 17d ago |
| 68-8140 | AE00D0 | RDHWK72 | 865 | 22 | 2,050 | 9,467 | 2d ago |
| N939FS | AD07A6 | NFX603 | 818 | 56 | 11,575 | 18,988 | 11d ago |
| 65-10437 | AE00CB | RDHWK72 | 765 | 16 | 2,175 | 13,835 | 16d ago |
| 169319 | AE5C77 | VRTX19 | 651 | 47 | 375 | 10,402 | 1d ago |
| 63-8162 | AE00D6 | REDHK72 | 647 | 31 | 2,175 | 8,946 | 17h ago |
| 61-0851 | AE00B4 | REDHK72 | 607 | 16 | 2,150 | 12,406 | 3d ago |
| 63-8884 | AE0696 | SCARY99 | 568 | 14 | 2,200 | 18,605 | 14d ago |
| N205HQ | A1A554 | N205HQ | 556 | 20 | 425 | 2,828 | 17d ago |
| 73-1215 | AE264F | WAYLN98 | 554 | 40 | 2,175 | 8,006 | 2d ago |
| 18-46046 | AE5F99 | MC86046 | 522 | 22 | 1,675 | 14,684 | 20h ago |
| N597E | A7B7CC | N597E | 517 | 27 | 175 | 1,679 | 4d ago |
| 65-10403 | AE00E3 | RDHWK72 | 516 | 24 | 2,100 | 10,480 | 20h ago |
| N999LA | ADF50D | N999LA | 498 | 12 | 350 | 3,717 | 109d ago |
| 61-0320 | AE07B3 | GHOST94 | 451 | 14 | 2,125 | 17,009 | 14d ago |
| N6410M | A86B56 | N6410M | 444 | 32 | 375 | 7,605 | 1d ago |
| N912KC | AC9EFD | N912KC | 419 | 6 | 375 | 1,183 | 8h ago |
| 03-3121 | AE1232 | ARRIS88 | 417 | 21 | 2,175 | 8,313 | 43d ago |
| 64-13197 | AE00A9 | COBRA81 | 405 | 18 | 2,200 | 10,069 | 31d ago |
| ADS-B category | Aircraft | Pings |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 133 | 16,513 |
| A7 | 131 | 7,260 |
| A6 | 22 | 5,887 |
| UNCATEGORIZED | 637 | 4,263 |
| A5 | 41 | 3,308 |
| A3 | 81 | 2,710 |
| A2 | 47 | 1,681 |
| 7 | 3 | 257 |
| 1 | 15 | 165 |
| 3 | 16 | 101 |
| 5 | 5 | 82 |
| B6 | 5 | 59 |
Every row above is derived from FAA ADS-B broadcasts on 1090 MHz — unencrypted public radio transmissions that any hobbyist receiver can decode. "Military" is set by the FAA registry / Mode-S hex block. Callsign filters follow published USAF squadron conventions. County scoping uses reverse-geocoded coordinates against Kern County GIS boundaries. No classified source, no leaked material.
The tables are fact — public broadcasts from public aircraft. The framing — that the pattern is unusual and demands an answer — is the opinion of The Watchtower Project. This page raises questions on a matter of public concern under the First Amendment and Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 425.16. Corrections and counter-evidence are welcomed via the Legal page.