My guess is they've been instructed a long time ago to ignore Mil aircraft when transponders are off. They would only see a handful locally at any given time, so few would notice anything unusual.
My guess is if the transponders were on, that would give Air Traffic Control the type of aircraft and the aircraft's tail number. Without the transponder information, all the ATC can see is a generic shape of an aircraft. Again, just guessing.
Does Air Traffic Control still see the aircraft even though the transponders are off?
Unless they are using radar jamming, yes.
My guess is they've been instructed a long time ago to ignore Mil aircraft when transponders are off. They would only see a handful locally at any given time, so few would notice anything unusual.
My guess is if the transponders were on, that would give Air Traffic Control the type of aircraft and the aircraft's tail number. Without the transponder information, all the ATC can see is a generic shape of an aircraft. Again, just guessing.