Bellingcat Challenge #17 "Hot Stuff" Writeup

This article was automatically translated from Japanese by AI.

Challenge

Bellingcat Challenge #17 “Hot Stuff”

Names change! In open source research it’s often useful to find up to date information about the names or designations of people, places and things.

The large number identifying this helicopter has been changed since this photo was taken. Can you find its new number?

As of July 2024, what is the tail number and large number of this helicopter? (Use the format TAILNUMBER-LARGENUMBER, i.e AB-CDE-99)

Solution

A Google reverse image search of the helicopter photograph identifies it as a firefighting helicopter belonging to Bombers, the fire service of Spain’s Generalitat de Catalunya.

I then found a photograph taken in 2024 on JetPhotos. Its photo date is Jul 11, 2024, and its airline is listed as Generalitat de Catalunya. The tail number is EC-MQR, and the aircraft displays its new large number, 11. To determine whether it is the same aircraft shown in the challenge, I checked a photograph of EC-MQR taken in 2021, which shows the large number 21. Although the black pattern near the tail differs slightly, it can be inferred that this is the same aircraft shown in the challenge image.

Flag

EC-MQR-11