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At Least 112 USAF C-17 Aircraft Headed To Middle East: 'Desert Storm Levels' A massive number of C-17 Globemaster military transport and cargo planes have been observed heading to Europe and the Middle East, in what some monitors have forewarned looks like the build-up to major war in Iran.
posted ago by aslan_is_0n_the_m0ve ago by aslan_is_0n_the_m0ve +63 / -0

At Least 112 USAF C-17 Aircraft Headed To Middle East: 'Desert Storm Levels'

An eye-opening and massive number of C-17 Globemaster military transport and cargo planes have been observed heading to Europe and the Middle East, in what some monitors have forewarned looks like the build-up to major war in Iran.

One regional watcher and pundit commented in response: "112 C-17s are in or on their way to the Middle East. Guys, that’s a lot. Like Desert Storm a lot. Stay tuned."

This as on Friday the prominent open source account Armchair Admiral and others used public flight tracking data to tally that the huge armada of US Air Force C-17s and counting are en route - a trend since mid-January.

"A total of 112 U.S. Air Force C-17's have now either arrived or are en route to the Middle East with a further 17-18 in-progress flights, a number of Royal Air Force logistics flights from RAF Marham to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, and movement on U.S. Air Force CORONETs," the source said.

C-17s are massive, and can deliver huge amounts of equipment or large numbers of troops in a single go. The US military lists some of the following key capabilities:

Payload capacity of over 170,000 pounds

Ability to operate on short, austere runways as small as 3,500 feet

Intercontinental range, with in-flight refueling extending reach even further

Rapid load/unload design to keep missions moving under pressure

Iran and the US just concluded an initial round of indirect talks mediated by Oman, but despite some hopeful statements issued by either side, it is very clear Iran is not willing to negotiate its ballistic missile program - a sticking point being demanded by Washington. A second round is expected in the coming days, unless military action ensues first.

Iran's foreign minister has newly questioned whether Washington is taking these talks seriously, or if they are merely a pretext for more time to allow for a US force build-up in the region.

https://www.zerohedge.com/military/least-112-usaf-c-17-aircraft-headed-middle-east-desert-storm-levels

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