USAF RC-135U Combat Sent Flies Offutt–Pease–RAF Mildenhall

Trackers followed U.S. Air Force RC-135U serial 64-14849, callsign COBRA49, off Offutt Air Force Base at 23:45 on November 3, 2026, into Pease Air National Guard Base, then off Pease at 06:51 on November 4. The jet landed at RAF Mildenhall at 13:33 UK time.

Mildenhall is a regular eastbound stop for U.S. military traffic toward the Middle East, including during Operation Midnight Hammer. Nothing public says this Combat Sent has a CENTCOM order, or that it does not. The Air Force keeps two of the type on the 55th Wing at Offutt to locate and examine foreign military radars.

Key details

• Published unrefuelled range: 4,000 nautical miles, extendable with tankers.
• Crew includes electronic warfare officers, airborne systems engineers, and mission specialists.
• President Donald Trump has said the United States had no immediate plans to strike Iran and that U.S. forces were locked and loaded if required.

The Air Force lists only two RC-135U Combat Sent aircraft, both with the 55th Wing at Offutt, and describes the type as a peacetime and contingency collector used worldwide.

Why it matters

Combat Sent is not a bomber. It records how an air-defence radar actually behaves so other aircraft can detect or defeat it. A UK landing is consistent with that collection job anywhere on the globe, including a later Gulf hop that has not been shown.