Irmak Akcan
03 May 2026•Update: 03 May 2026
- Surge in activity driven largely by transport and aerial refueling aircraft
As tensions between the US and Iran continue, US military air traffic has seen a considerable uptick, largely consisting of transport and aerial refueling aircraft.
An examination carried out by Anadolu using Flightradar24, a flight tracking application, found an unusual increase in the number of US military aircraft traveling from Europe to Middle Eastern countries on May 2.
Most of the aircraft sent to the region were C-17A Globemaster III military cargo planes, each capable of carrying about 77 tons of cargo and around 100 personnel.
The Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy – the largest transport aircraft in the US Air Force, with a payload capacity of about 127 tons – and the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, a Boeing-built tanker aircraft used for aerial refueling and strategic transport, were also spotted operating in European and Middle Eastern airspace.
At least 12 transport aircraft were reportedly en route to the Middle East, with some departing from Germany.
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker tanker aircraft were also among those heading toward the region, with at least four refueling planes observed operating around Israel and nearby areas.
Additionally, a US signals intelligence (SIGINT) reconnaissance aircraft, the Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint, was spotted operating in the skies near Bahrain.
Some transport aircraft departing from the US were also observed without confirmed destinations at this stage.
The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel, as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.
A two-week ceasefire was announced on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, followed by direct talks in Islamabad on April 11, but no agreement was reached on a lasting truce.
Trump later extended the ceasefire without setting a new deadline, following a request from Pakistan.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul
