With the US moving more military assets to the Middle Eastern waters, reports have emerged that the US Air Force plane dubbed the “nuke sniffer” has landed in Britain. This comes amid Trump’s statement that the US has deployed a lot of “very big, powerful ships” to Iran right now.
The USAF WC-135R Constant Phoenix jet, which can detect radioactive particles in the atmosphere, has touched down at RAF Mildenhall, an American airbase in the UK’s Suffolk, according to The Telegraph.
The last time the USAF “nuke sniffer” was deployed from the US to the Middle East was weeks before Israel and the US conducted a joint attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities during the 12-day war. The nuke sniffer is operated by the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron.
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It is not often that the aircraft moves to the Mildenhall base, and the last time it did was weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in January 2022.
Though the official sources are yet to comment on this, the timing of the deployment has sparked speculation that it could be related to Iran. However, the Telegraph quoted defence sources who stressed the aircraft’s presence did not necessarily indicate immediate military action.
A U.S. Air Force WC-135R Constant Phoenix is now landing in the UK before likely moving on to the Middle East later today.
— Oliver Alexander (@OAlexanderDK) January 29, 2026
They are commonly referred to as “nuke sniffers” due to their role detecting and identifying nuclear material in the atmosphere. pic.twitter.com/ZndZAUIBKR
The plane's mission is to monitor radiation levels and ensure that no ground-based nuclear tests are carried out and that international nuclear test ban agreements are being respected, an official familiar with the matter told the Telegraph.
The aircraft is tasked by the United Nations to monitor radiation levels, and has earlier being tasked with air sampling missions over the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Far East, Mediterranean Sea, the Polar regions and off the coasts of South America and Africa.
Interestingly, images from RAF Mildenhall also appeared to show US special forces rehearsing military drills and fast-roping from a V-22 Osprey.
Meanwhile, flight tracking data has confirmed that supply aircraft associated with the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln plied between the Arabian Sea and Oman several times this week.
The F-35 stealth fighters and F/A-18 attack aircraft stationed on this carrier are within range to attack dozens of targets inside Iran if ordered to do so by Trump. The US has also deployed at least a dozen F-15E fighter jets to the region to bolster its ground-based airstrike capabilities. Satellite images show the planes are based at the same air base in Jordan that was used in June 2025 during Operation Midnight Hammer. Flight tracking data suggests that the US has also brought more aircraft closer to or into the region, including more advanced fighter jets and tankers.
