Open-source monitoring information and spotters on the bottom are exhibiting a sudden surge of U.S. plane to Europe. The deployments embody C-17 Globemaster III cargo jets, presumably filled with helicopters, emanating from the house of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), AC-130J Ghostrider gunships, and a shadowy particular operations turboprop plane. Whereas U.S. plane routinely transit to and thru that continent, the variety of flights and their origin have raised hypothesis of potential future particular operations missions within the area, and that hypothesis could possibly be effectively based.
The deployments of those plane more and more seem to be they’re in assist of a future operation to board the Russian-flagged Crude Oil Tanker Marinera, which till not too long ago has been generally known as the Bella-1, and has been pursued by the Coast Guard since final month. CBS News on Monday afternoon reported that the U.S. will doubtless attempt to intercept the vessel, now within the North Atlantic. We’ll focus on that extra later, together with why the a hundred and sixtieth SOAR could also be wanted for such an operation, on this story.
Here’s what we have now seen over the previous 36 hours. On-line flight monitoring information exhibits that there have been at the very least 10 Globemaster flights that left the U.S. for Europe on Jan. 3. Not less than 4 of those flights had been from Fort Campbell in Kentucky, fueling unconfirmed hypothesis of an inflow of U.S. particular operations aviation property. Fort Campbell is dwelling to the a hundred and sixtieth SOAR, also called the Night time Stalkers, the elite aviation unit that performed a key function in finding and capturing Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his spouse. You’ll be able to learn extra about that in our story about Operation Absolute Resolve here.
There are claims that a number of of the Night time Stalkers’ highly modified MH-47 Chinooks and MH-60M Black Hawks, presumably dropped off by the C-17s, had been seen at RAF Fairford; nonetheless, no visible proof has emerged to verify that.
“As I feel we have now provided many instances beforehand, we don’t touch upon the operational exercise of different nations, together with use of UK bases,” a U.Okay. Protection Ministry (MoD) official advised us. “Likewise, neither the MOD or RAF would provide touch upon hypothesis on what [U.S. bases in England] property are or certainly will not be doing.”
The a hundred and sixtieth didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Past the potential for the helicopters being delivered, at the very least two AC-130J Ghostrider gunships landed Sunday at RAF Mildenhall, the place they nonetheless stay, in line with Andrew McKelvey, an area spotter who was type sufficient to share his pictures of the plane with us. U.S. Air Pressure Particular Operations Command, which operates these plane, declined to remark.
AC-130 GUNSHIPS ARRIVE IN UK
One of many U.S. Air Pressure’s shadowy CASA CN-235 intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance planes was additionally deployed to RAF Fairford.
U.S. European Command, which oversees American navy operations in that area, declined to supply any specifics in regards to the nature of those flights.
“U.S. European Command routinely hosts transient U.S. navy plane (and personnel) in accordance with entry, basing, and overflight agreements with Allies and companions,” the command advised us in an early Monday morning e mail. “Considering operational safety for U.S. property and personnel, additional particulars will not be releasable right now.”
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