Bellingcat Challenge #109 "Mapped Out" Writeup

This article was automatically translated from Japanese by AI.

Challenge

Bellingcat Challenge #109 “Mapped Out”

What is the sum of numbers marked in the outlined area?

Solution

I was aware of satellite imagery being downgraded in connection with the recent war in Iran, so I inferred that this was an airport in the Middle East. I also recognized the way OpenStreetMap displays military areas in the challenge image, which suggested a military facility.

The runway is labeled 12L/30R, so I searched for "middle east air force base 12L 30R". The search results led to an approach chart on Wikimedia Commons and the GPTKB page for Ali Al Salem Air Base, identifying the location as Ali Al Salem Air Base.

Because the imagery in Google Maps and Google Earth had been downgraded, I checked Yandex Maps satellite imagery and found numbers painted on the helipads.

Adding the numbers within the outlined area gives 1 + 2 + 4 + 5 + 8 + 12 = 32.

Flag

32

Note

Initially, the site rejected 32 and accepted 31. Considering that the marking that looked like 12 might be 11 led to an answer the site accepted.

After I asked on Discord, another participant confirmed that the site accepted 31 even though the intended calculation was 1 + 2 + 4 + 5 + 8 + 12 = 32. This established that the accepted answer was incorrect. The answer has since been corrected to 32.

Source: Yandex Maps. Captured on September 7, 2026.