Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Tyler Woodward)
The United States is keeping several aircraft, including several specialized in signal intelligence, at Souda Air Base on the Greek island of Crete, amid rising tensions with Iran.
An image taken by the European Sentinel-2 that surfaced online on May 3 confirmed that at least three RC-135V Rivet Joint signal intelligence aircraft are currently at Souda.
The RC-135W is the standard airborne signal intelligence platform for the U.S. Air Force. It was developed by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems and L3 Technologies.
The aircraft’s sensor suite allows the mission crew to detect, identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. The mission crew can then forward gathered information in a variety of formats to a wide range of consumers via Rivet Joint’s extensive communications suite.
The deployment of aircraft of this type at Souda was first reported right before the start of the American-Israeli war on Iran in February.
The same satellite image revealed that at least seven U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling tankers are also still deployed at Souda.
Click to see full-size image. (X)
Recent reports revealed the deployment of additional aerial refueling tankers from the U.S. Air Force in Israel, not just at Ben Gurion Airport near the central city of Tel Aviv, but also at Ramon Airport close to the port city of Eilat in the south of the country.
The deployment of additional American aircraft, including fighter jets from the U.S. Marine Corps, at Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, was also reported.
Despite the ongoing ceasefire, the U.S. is clearly keeping its finger on the trigger. War could resume at any moment, and with diplomatic efforts stalled and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz getting more complicated, another round of fighting seems inevitable.
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