Misbar Tracks 37 U.S. Military Flights Across Europe and the Middle East Over Two Days

Misbar's team at Al Araby TV tracked 37 U.S. military flight movements on July 9 and 10, 2026, using publicly available flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24. The recorded flights followed routes linking Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

The data included 22 movements heading eastward or toward regional staging points and 15 return or outbound movements toward Europe. The figure reflects flight movements or flight segments rather than 37 separate aircraft. Registration numbers indicate that at least 29 different aircraft were involved, while one movement lacked a visible registration.

These records do not represent the entirety of U.S. military air activity. Military aircraft are not always visible on public tracking platforms throughout their flights, while departure and arrival points may be unavailable or estimated. The data also does not reveal the cargo or operational mission of each aircraft.

Transport Aircraft Dominate Activity

C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft accounted for the majority of the observed movements, with 24 flights out of 37. They were followed by eight KC-135R Stratotanker aerial refueling flights, three C-5M Super Galaxy flights, and one flight each by an RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft and a C-40 Clipper.

Heavy transport aircraft accounted for 27 movements, compared with eight tanker flights and one electronic reconnaissance mission.

On July 9, Misbar tracked a C-17 using the callsign RCH590, which departed Ramstein Air Base in Germany before flying south and east toward a regional staging area.

Another aircraft, RCH447, departed Ramstein and later returned to the same base, suggesting a training, testing, or repositioning mission rather than a deployment to the Middle East.

The team also documented additional arrivals that day, including RCH4210, RCH734, RCH289, and RCH686 from German air bases, along with RCH592 from Sigonella Air Base in Italy and one KC-135R aerial refueling aircraft.

Several additional C-17 flights—RCH4210, RCH734, RCH289, and RCH686—departed Ramstein and Spangdahlem, while RCH592 departed Sigonella Air Base in Italy. The final destinations of several of these flights were not publicly available. One KC-135R refueling aircraft was also tracked that day.

Flight activity continued on July 10 with C-17 aircraft operating under the callsigns RCH190 and RCH039 from Ramstein, RCH527 from Spangdahlem, RCH294 from Sigonella, as well as RCH526, RCH4200, and RCH165. The final destinations of several of these flights were likewise unavailable.

The data also showed a C-5M Super Galaxy operating under the callsign RCH2142, which departed Prestwick Airport in Scotland before flying toward a regional staging point. Misbar additionally tracked a C-17 using the callsign RCH4572 flying from Ramstein to Etimesgut Air Base in Ankara.

The team also observed an RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft operating under the callsign OLIVE34, which departed RAF Mildenhall and landed at Chania Airport on the Greek island of Crete.

On July 10, four KC-135R tanker movements were recorded, including two departing Mihail Kogălniceanu Airport near Constanța, Romania. An additional KC-135R flight had been tracked on July 9.

Return Flights and Repositioning

The dataset also included 15 return or outbound movements toward Europe. However, this category does not necessarily indicate that all aircraft were returning from the Middle East. It also includes flights departing regional staging points, as well as movements conducted entirely within Europe or the eastern Mediterranean.

On July 9, three KC-135R aircraft flew consecutive routes to Prestwick Airport in Scotland, including RCH250. The sequence suggests a tanker repositioning operation, although publicly available flight data does not reveal the missions that preceded these flights.

A C-5M Super Galaxy operating under the callsign RCH1875 was also tracked returning from a regional staging point to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Misbar also tracked a C-40 Clipper operating under the callsign BOXER41 flying from Chania Airport in Crete to London Stansted Airport.

Other movements included C-17 aircraft such as RCH4537 flying from Incirlik Air Base near Adana to Ramstein, RCH734 from the eastern Mediterranean to RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom, and RCH4210 to Zweibrücken Airport in Germany.

Additional flights included RCH584 on a short route between Ramstein and Bitburg, as well as RCH590 and RCH289, illustrating that the dataset combines return flights from the region with repositioning flights within Europe.

Return movements continued on July 10, when a C-17 operating under the callsign MOOSE75 was tracked flying northward. The C-5M Super Galaxy RCH2142 was also observed returning from a regional staging point to Prestwick Airport.

What Do These Movements Suggest?

The data points to sustained logistical activity across the corridor linking Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East. The predominance of heavy transport aircraft—27 movements in total—is consistent with personnel transport, equipment delivery, and force sustainment missions, while the presence of aerial refueling tankers and an RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft indicates parallel air support and intelligence operations.

However, these indicators do not reveal the cargo carried or the specific operational purpose of each flight, nor do they establish a direct connection between every flight and a particular military operation.

The observed movements coincided with another round of U.S. strikes against Iran on July 8. U.S. Central Command said it had targeted approximately 90 Iranian military sites after striking around 80 targets the previous night in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the latest figures released by Iran's Health Ministry, the strikes killed 17 people and injured 93 others. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military interests in the region. Despite the escalation, Axios quoted a U.S. official as saying that Washington remained committed to reaching a resolution and that technical negotiations were continuing.

On July 9, the Gulf Cooperation Council issued a joint statement condemning attacks on commercial vessels and civilian facilities in the region and held Iran responsible for the consequences for maritime security and energy supplies.

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