Anadolu Agency says open‑source flight tracking observed a new wave of U.S. C‑17 cargo aircraft carrying Patriot air‑defense equipment from Texas to Israel, suggesting Washington may be preparing to deploy an additional Patriot battery. At least six U‑S Air Force C‑17A Globemaster III aircraft departed Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss, Texas, for Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, with the latest movements seen on Tuesday. The total number of C‑17 flights from Biggs to Ovda is expected to reach 16 once the second group completes its journey, according to the intelligence.
The scale of the airlift could indicate the deployment of a complete Patriot battery rather than a minimum engagement package, which is a contingent capable of conducting air and missile defense operations anywhere in the CENTCOM area of responsibility in a maximum of 96 hours. The latest flights followed preparations at Biggs Army Airfield, where another C‑17 operating under the call sign REACH 324 departed Monday for Gander International Airport in Canada, separate from the previous eight flights to Israel, hinting at another deployment of Patriot systems.
Open‑source flight tracking also recorded additional U.S. military cargo aircraft movements across the Middle East and Europe. C‑17 aircraft stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar since the start of the war departed November 1 for Ramstein and Spangdahlem air bases in Germany. Another C‑17 flew Tuesday from Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina to Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, with two other aircraft departing the Kuwaiti base for Davis‑Mothan Air Force Base in Arizona. Meanwhile, the U.S. military continued withdrawing support equipment from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, with two C‑17 aircraft departing over a 48‑hour period, one flying to Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and the other to an unspecified destination.
