AE61F6 - AE61F9 Who or what are they?

This block of hex codes is very interesting on many different levels. I have seen tie-ups all over the place because of all the mixed signals that have seen in the various intercepts.

Here is what I have seen:
AE61F6 5/13/2019 Mode-S c/s 1720978, Fixer 55
AE61F7 6/6/2019 Mode-S c/s G20979, R20979, Assault (ASLT) 979, LAC5873
AE61F8 7/2/2019 Mode-S c/s 1820980, LAC5875
AE61F9 7/3/2019 Mode-S c/s Raid 91, LAC5876

The first three do not look like C-130s, unless the Army has purchased some. Look at AE61F7. These Mode-S calls G20979, R20979 indicate US Army and National Guard G#####. The AE61F6 1720978 and AE61F8 1820980 are US Army serials. But all have either a LAC Mode-S or Fixer 55 call which is used by Lockheed down in Marietta and I see here almost daily for the 130J testing program.

Finally, I have seen the Raid ## call used by the 27SOW/9SOS Night Wings out of Cannon AFB, NM. (See below)

AE61F9 17-5876/18-20 RAID91 2019-07-03 13:30:08 MC-130J United States USAF | 5731 20825

Not sure what is going on here but does anyone know if the Army has purchased some 130 rolling stock? Or is Lockheed intentionally miscoding these to fool those of us reporting their test? Or is it something different? These blocks are preassigned by DoD to Majcoms and then usually further assigned to airframes and or tactical use. This block fascinates me. Comments and thoughts are most welcomed at this point. Send them along to the email addy in the masthead.

Happy 4th to you all and keep our military servicemen and their families in your thoughts and prayers as we celebrate the day we declared our independence.

The Navy’s Getting a Big, Secretive Special Operations ‘Mothership’

Converted cargo vessel to carry copters, commandos

By David Axe in War is Boring (https://medium.com/war-is-boring/12801da6f353)

The U.S. Navy is quietly converting a 633-foot-long cargo ship into a secretive helicopter carrier with facilities for supporting a large contingent of Special Operations Forces and all their gear, including jet skis.

Yes, jet skis.

And here’s the really weird thing: almost nobody is talking about the new “mothership” vessel, even though it could significantly expand America’s at-sea commando footprint.

In November, Military Sealift Command—America’s quasi-civilian fleet of more than 100 specialized but lightly armed vessels—awarded an initial $73-million contract to shipping giant Maersk to convert one of its cargo ships to a so-called “Maritime Support Vessel” standard.

Maersk tapped the 30,000-ton displacement M/V Cragside, built in 2011. After enduring a legal protest by rival Crowley, in January Maersk sent Cragside to the Gulf of Mexico for military modifications, most likely at the BAE shipyard upriver in Alabama.

The contract, extendable for up to four years, could be worth up to $143 million. The militarized Cragside could deploy as early as November this year.

MSC is adding a bunch of new hardware to Cragside to allow the vessel to function as a floating base for up to 200 troops and their weapons plus small boats, helicopters and the aforementioned jet skis, which the Navy and Air Force have begun buying and which Navy SEALs could use to sneak along enemy coastlines.

Cragside should be able to sail 8,000 miles at a time at speeds up to 20 knots and in 20-foot seas, needing resupply only every 45 days. The shipyard is adding a highly-secure communications room, a gym and weapons lockers. After all, you can’t house all those Army Delta Force troopers and SEALs without ample weapons lockers and gyms.

The sleek, capacious ship—already fitted with a rear ramp for loading vehicles—is also getting a flight deck big enough for the largest, heaviest U.S. military helicopter, the Navy’s MH-53E. Cragside will also be able to support Army Apache gunships, Navy patrol helicopters, Special Operations Command Little Bird attack copters and even Marine and Air Force V-22 tiltrotors.

Cragside’s hangar must be big enough to hold two Navy helicopters at the same time for maintenance—and has to have the special, subtle lighting that allows crews to use night-vision goggles.

Add it all up, and you’ve got a floating air base, barracks and headquarters—all in a package that, because it looks just like a civilian cargo ship, should be able to avoid easy identification. “This is going to be a seriously capable ship,” commented Tim Colton, a maritime consultant.

And a seriously capable ship that many close observers of the Navy don’t even know exists. It’s not the that government is covering up Cragside—the call for bids went out through normal public channels. But the vague official descriptions of the vessel’s purpose have helped her escape wide notice.

When Seapower magazine called Sealift Command for comment, it got a predictably terse response. “We can’t provide details relating to the ship’s mission,” MSC spokesman Jim Marconi said.