An aircraft flying above Saudi Arabia with an active transponder was initially flagged as a US B-52H bomber, but analysts and alternative reports suggest it may be a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, which can appear as a B-52 on flight trackers due to a transponder code error. The identification remains unverified.
Minutes after a series of earlier reports described multiple US B-52 bombers taking off from Diego Garcia and a single bomber heading toward the Gulf, a fresh alert appeared on flight tracking platforms: a transponder labeled as a B-52H was active above Saudi Arabia. The initial reading prompted a flurry of speculation about a possible imminent strike or show of force. However, a concurrent report attributed to the channel Fotros Resistancee argues that the aircraft is actually a US Navy P-8A Poseidon from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, which sometimes registers on public trackers as a B-52 due to a code error. The identity of the aircraft has not been confirmed by any official source, and the operational significance — if any — remains unclear. As The Zioneer reported earlier, a B-52 transponder was noted as having been turned off en route to the region about two hours before this sighting, and US aerial tankers had recently reactivated their transponders over Saudi Arabia after a period of silence. This latest sighting could be a continuation of the same deployment, or a separate movement; analysts are not yet certain.
2 developments
- StrongUS B-52 Bomber Reported Entering Saudi Airspace, Suggests Imminent Strikes on Iran
- DevelopingUS P-8A Poseidon takes off from Prince Sultan; AWACS and tankers deploy from Kuwait and Israel
- DevelopingUS aerial tankers switch transponders back on above Saudi Arabia
- DevelopingUS Navy P-8A Poseidon patrols over Persian Gulf
Source and signal
- Open-source intake