The Tanker Surge That Signals U.S. Military Readiness in the Iran Theater (opens in new tab)

Over the past day, open-source flight tracking has revealed a pattern that rarely appears without a reason, and almost never without follow-through. A large wave of U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers has been moving toward the Middle East, accompanied by a parallel surge in heavy cargo aircraft. According to multiple OSINT trackers monitoring ADS-B data and military callsigns, thirteen KC-135R tankers are already positioned at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the central nerve center for U.S....