The Air Mobility Command (Air Mobility Command - AMC) of the US Air Force on February 28, 2023, in a statement sent to the Aviation Week publication, confirmed that it had decided to remove the tail numbers, emblems, aircraft unit numbers and identification codes from its aircraft, and even an inscription indicating that they belong to United States Air Force ("US Air Force"). This unprecedented decision was made for the first time in the history of US military aviation.
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft of the Air Mobility Command of the US Air Force in a new paint scheme completely devoid of side numbers, identification codes and part designations, February 2023 (c) Michael Killian / US Air ForceAccording to spotters, the removal of tail numbers on AMC aircraft was started in September 2022, but received significant scale in February 2023.
According to the request of the editorial board of Aviation Week on this occasion, an appropriate official response was received from the AMC, which states:
"We work all over the world every day, often supporting sensitive transportation of people and goods. It is clear that we have concerns about the operational impact on the security of these missions in the modern era of information on demand in real time. A muted coloring scheme with limited identification information is one way to make it harder to learn how we work to ensure our ability to continue to benefit America and our allies and partners around the world. For operational security reasons, we cannot provide details, although our aircraft will retain markings in accordance with legal requirements."
Observers note that the reduction of identification designations has been noted since 2021 in the paint scheme of new Boeing KC-46A tanker aircraft coming from the manufacturer. Now, all identifiers are being massively removed from the most used AMC aircraft, including Lockheed Martin C-130J and Boeing C-17A military transport aircraft and Boeing KC-135 tanker aircraft. In fact, they have only the identification marks of the US Air Force, made in a gray monochrome scheme, and a small image of the US flag on the keel.
It is worth noting that at the same time, the transponders of AMC aircraft in flight still transmit information about their on-board (registration) numbers.
These measures to remove flight numbers and identification markings from US military aircraft are unprecedented and have not even been used in any of the wars or conflicts in which the United States took part. It is characteristic that the combat aviation of the US Air Force has not yet been affected by these trends - although it is possible that the same measures will be taken there.
A number of American observers believe that the actions to remove the flight numbers and identification markings on transport aircraft are a personal initiative of the new commander of the AMS, Air Force General Mike Minihan, who took up this post in 2021. The extravagant Minihan has recently become famous for a number of harsh alarmist and anti-Chinese statements, predicting a war between the United States and China in 2025, etc.
The Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker tanker aircraft of the Air Mobility Command of the US Air Force in a new paint scheme completely devoid of side numbers, identification codes and part designations. Fairchild (Washington), February 2023 (c) U.S. Air ForceBoeing C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft of the Air Mobility Command of the US Air Force in the previous paint scheme with a full set of flight numbers, inscriptions, indexes and designations, including designations and emblems of its unit, July 2011 (c) US Air Force
