The US has moved at least 30 military aircraft from American bases to Europe in the last three days. This is reported by UNN referencing BBC News.
Details
According to BBC Verify, these are KC-135 tanker aircraft that provide air support for fighter jets and bombers. As noted by Flightradar24, some of them stopped at airbases in Scotland, Spain, and England.
The redeployment of US aviation is occurring against the backdrop of rising tensions following the start of Israel's operation against Iran's nuclear program, which began on Friday. Whether the movement of aircraft is directly related to this conflict has not been officially confirmed.
Such flights of tankers are very unusual. The deployment strongly suggests that the US is developing contingency plans to support intensive combat operations in the region in the coming weeks – said Justin Bronk, senior research fellow at the RUSI think tank.
BBC Verify established that as of Tuesday afternoon, at least six aircraft were east of Sicily. One landed on the island of Crete, while others were flying without a specified destination.
According to the former Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, the US may be deliberately employing a strategy of "strategic ambiguity."
This could be an attempt to influence Iran to make concessions in negotiations regarding its nuclear program – stated Vice Admiral Mark Mellett.
Additionally
As UNN reported, the US redirected the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz from the South China Sea towards the Middle East. The ship's planned visit to Vietnam was canceled – the US Embassy in Hanoi explained this as an "extraordinary operational requirement."
According to data from the resource MarineTraffic, on Tuesday, the USS Nimitz was heading through the Strait of Malacca towards Singapore. The ship is accompanied by guided-missile destroyers, and carries a contingent of fighter jets on board.
In addition, according to information from three Pentagon officials cited by Reuters, the US has moved F-16, F-22, and F-35 fighter jets to bases in the Middle East. It is possible that the aircraft redeployed to Europe may be used to refuel them.
US Vice President JD Vance hinted that Washington might support the Israeli campaign.
Trump may decide he needs to take further action to halt Iran's nuclear program
It is believed that Iran has two main underground uranium enrichment facilities – Natanz and Fordow. The former has already been targeted, while the latter is located in a mountain range near the city of Qom.
Two senior Western military officials told BBC Verify that for strikes against these targets, the US would likely use GBU-57A/B MOP bombs, known as "bunker busters."
These 13,600 kg munitions are capable of penetrating concrete shelters up to 60 meters thick. The only aircraft capable of delivering such munitions is the B-2 stealth bomber.