As covered in Albania (Again) and in Sometimes, It’s Good To Be Seen - Part 1 the USAF’s Air Material Command (AMC) made the decision to remove the registrations and tail flashes from their cargo and tanker aircraft within their fleet. This includes the Gatekeepers as they are cargo aircraft and the units thats operate them can fall under the command of AMC. So far only one of the GKs, 00-9001 out of McGuire Air Force Base, has been confirmed to have had it’s registration removed as seen here in this photo by Keystone Intel:
Recently 02-4452, 9001’s stablemate, spent a year in maintenance. During it’s time in maintenance the AMC decree was put into place. Fans of the GKs have been waiting for footage of 4452 since it’s return from maintenance in late May of 2023. This desire is two fold. On one hand fans would like to know if the registration has been removed but on the other hand there is a curiosity to see if any visible modifications have been made.
Recently one of those desires was met. On July 5th, 4452 went out for routine AR training over northwest Pennsylvania. During it’s flight back to McGuire the following footage was able to be captured confirming that 4452 has indeed had its registration removed:
The NGKs have now both been visually confirmed as no longer having their registrations visible, now just to confirm the SGKs.