A US Air Force reconnaissance aircraft built to analyze foreign radar activity has crossed the Atlantic on a mission that has not been publicly disclosed.
Flightradar24 data showed the RC-135U Combat Sent departing Portsmouth International Airport at Pease in New Hampshire at 1:51 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
Using the callsign COBRA49, the aircraft reached RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England, roughly six hours and 42 minutes later.
The Combat Sent is one of just two aircraft of its kind operated by the Air Force. Its specialized systems are designed to gather detailed intelligence about foreign military radar networks.
That information can help US officials determine how hostile systems function while supporting efforts to detect, avoid or neutralize them.
The aircraft’s arrival has prompted speculation among military aviation trackers that it could eventually support operations in the Middle East. However, publicly available flight data does not identify a follow-on destination or confirm its assignment.
The flight took place after President Donald Trump said the United States was not immediately preparing to launch additional strikes against Iran.
Trump also warned that US forces remained “locked and loaded if we need to go,” while adding that there might be no reason to act.
Flightradar24 records show the RC-135U Combat Sent leaving Portsmouth International Airport at Pease in New Hampshire at 1:51 a.m. ET on Wednesday
According to Flightradar24’s flight history, Wednesday’s aircraft carried registration number 64-14849. The jet had earlier flown from Omaha, Nebraska, to Portsmouth on Tuesday.
Both Combat Sent aircraft belong to the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, though their intelligence missions can take them to locations across the globe.
RAF Mildenhall has previously served as a base of support for the aircraft. Air Force images released in 2014 showed a Combat Sent being refueled over Norway by a tanker operating from Mildenhall.
The Air Force says the aircraft can be used during routine peacetime activity as well as military contingencies. Its arrival in the United Kingdom, by itself, does not prove that a new combat operation is about to begin.
The flight quickly generated discussion online. One X user argued that the deployment could improve Washington’s ability to track regional air-defense networks as tensions with Iran remain elevated.
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The same user noted that the aircraft’s presence did not necessarily point to an imminent strike, but said its capabilities would be particularly useful in evaluating advanced radar and missile-defense systems ahead of any potential military action.
Another commenter suggested the journey could instead form part of a regular annual intelligence-collection flight along NATO’s eastern flank.
The Combat Sent’s central mission is to collect electronic intelligence from radar installations on the ground, at sea and in the air.
The Air Force operates only two Combat Sent aircraft, which are tasked with gathering detailed intelligence on foreign radar systems
The Air Force says the aircraft combines expert human analysis with an Automatic Electronic Emitter Locating System. Together, those capabilities allow crews to find, identify and assess numerous electronic signals at the same time.
In effect, the aircraft serves as a flying laboratory, capturing transmissions that specialists can later examine to determine the capabilities of the systems that produced them.
Its reconnaissance role is supported by prominent antenna arrays mounted beneath the nose, on the wingtips and along the aircraft’s lengthened tail.
Systems engineers, electronic warfare officers and other mission specialists operate the collection equipment from inside the aircraft. Air Combat Command says the two jets are equipped with somewhat different reconnaissance configurations.
The intelligence gathered during these missions is added to national databases and subjected to further analysis by experts who study foreign electronic warfare systems.
The aircraft, operating under the callsign COBRA49, arrived at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk after a six-hour-and-42-minute flight
The value of that work extends far beyond the individual surveillance mission.
An Air Force handbook says intelligence collected by Combat Sent aircraft can contribute to advanced weapons development and help update radar-warning systems.
Those warning systems alert aircrews to potential threats. Incorporating new information about foreign radar activity can give crews a clearer picture of the dangers they may encounter on future missions.
The aircraft is also capable of aerial refueling, allowing it to remain airborne longer than its internal fuel supply would otherwise permit. Air Force specifications list a top speed of more than 500 mph.
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