A US surveillance aircraft was observed flying near Russia, amid growing tensions in the region.
The plane, an RC-135U ‘Combat Sent’, is outfitted with advanced communication systems that enable direct information transmission to intelligence agencies.
Additionally, it features an in-flight refueling capability, which allows it to remain airborne for extended periods as long as it can connect with refueling aircraft in flight.
Recently, one of these planes was seen flying over Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave situated between Lithuania and Poland. After completing its flight over the area, the jet returned to the UK, departing from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk around 2:32 am.
The mission lasted just over seven hours, with the plane landing back at 9:36 am, as shown in a flight record on FlightRadar24 (via The Daily Mail).
This activity has fueled speculation as tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to intensify.
The ‘Combat Sent’ planes are primarily used for gathering long-term strategic intelligence.
The US Air Force describes the aircraft as being capable of ‘locating and identifying foreign military land, naval, and airborne radar signals,’ and it ‘collects and minutely examines each system, providing strategic analysis for warfighters.’
In military operations where the US is involved, such intelligence could be crucial for directing other units, including aircraft, drones, or ground forces.
The specific objective of the mission on October 7 over Russian territory remains unclear.
The same plane, bearing the callsign JAKE37, previously conducted a similar flight from the UK to Kaliningrad on October 2, with drones also being detected over Germany that day.
This occurs as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, with Russia also appearing to test the airspace of other European nations.
In September, three Russian MiG-31 aircraft allegedly breached Estonian airspace for about 10 minutes.
While Russia denied the incident, insisting its planes remained in neutral Baltic airspace, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna described it as ‘unprecedentedly brazen’.
Two weeks before, 20 Russian drones were monitored crossing over Ukraine and entering the airspace of Poland, a NATO member. Romanian jets also detected a Geran drone, a Russian version of the Iranian-made Shahed drone, in Romanian airspace.
At the time, NATO condemned these airspace breaches as ‘increasingly irresponsible’, stating it would defend itself with ‘military and non-military’ measures.
NATO’s Article 5 mandates that member nations must respond to an attack on any NATO member as if it were an attack on themselves.
The prospect of Ukraine joining NATO has been under discussion since before Russia’s recent invasion, with Ukraine expressing interest in membership and Russia opposing it.
Because of Article 5, a ceasefire would be necessary for Ukraine to join; otherwise, joining during an ongoing conflict would raise difficult questions about invoking Article 5.
Queries regarding the incident have been directed to the US Air Force for a statement.