US buildup near Iran now larger than June 2025 amid talks in Muscat
At least three E-11A, three Osprey supply aircraft, a dozen F-15 fighter jets, an MQ-9 Reaper combat drone and several A-10C Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft tracked by India Today show better military preparedness than the US strike in June 2025.
Whether or not the United States strikes Iran may be signalled by the scale of its armada in the Arabian Sea. Last June's operation "Midnight Hammer" targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities but weeks before the strikes there were already echoes in the sea.
Open-source defence analyst Stefan Watkins has tracked the arrival of multiple US early-warning and spy aircraft in the region in recent weeks, including at least three E-11A battlefield airborne communications nodes(BACN) now positioned at Al-Kharj Air Base in Saudi Arabia. During the June 2025 strikes, by contrast, only a single E-11A was observed operating in the Middle East.
Watkins noted in a post on X that this pattern “might suggest that strikes are coming sooner rather than later.”
India Today’s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team has independently tracked and mapped six E-11A BACN aircraft either postured in the Middle East or operating in rotation. The deployments mark a significant increase in US command-and-control assets in the Gulf, coinciding with the arrival of a US carrier strike group as President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme and its violent crackdown on protests in January.
This comes as US and Iranian officials are set to meet in Muscat today for their first face-to-face negotiations since the strike last June in an attempt to stave off another conflict. Meanwhile, the United States has asked its citizens to leave the west asian country immediately without any help from the US embassy.
There are also signs of increased activity at other US bases across the Middle East this week. The Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in eastern Jordan appears to be acting as a central node for the US buildup. Satellite imagery reviewed by India Today via Copernicus shows about a dozen jets lined up on the tarmac in late January, in the same spot seen at the base in June last year, ahead of Operation Midnight Hammer.
In Oman, activity involving specialised drones and Osprey supply aircraft was tracked by India Today at Duqm Air Base using open-source flight-tracking data.
Since the beginning of January, two Bombardier E-11A aircraft, with tail numbers 23-9048 and 21-9045, were already deployed to the Middle East. This week, another E-11A, carrying tail number 12-9506, arrived at Chania before repositioning to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday, the Bombardier 21-9045 departed Prince Sultan Air Base in Jordan and returned to the United States. By Wednesday, a separate E-11A (22-9047) arrived at Chania before heading to Al Kharj, effectively keeping the US Air Force’s BACN presence in the region at three aircraft.
These modified commercial jets act as a flying communications hub so US forces can share information quickly and securely across broad areas hence often called as ‘Wi-fi’ in the sky.
Equally significant was the arrival weeks earlier of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea. A carrier strike group remains among the most potent symbols of American military power, with an air wing of roughly 70 aircraft.
Iranian forces including drones and its flagship drone carrier Shahid Bagheri have been monitoring the Lincoln. On Feb. 3, the United States shot down one of Iranian Shahed-129 drones after officials said it approached the Lincoln.
The carrier’s location is also corroborated by recent aircraft movements at Duqm Airport in Oman. India Today tracked at least three Osprey supply aircraft making repeated flights between the Arabian Sea and the nearby base beginning Jan. 30. In recent years, the area has reportedly emerged as an important logistics hub for the US Navy, according to US Central Command.
The Abraham Lincoln carries F-35 stealth fighters capable of penetrating advanced air-defence networks. The strike group also includes three destroyers armed with Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, and is typically accompanied by a nuclear-powered submarine equipped with the same weapons.
This is in addition to the two US destroyers already in the region.
Days before the June 2025 attacks on Iran, media reported that US military assets were moving unusually. On June 21 last year, for instance, the US deployed six B-2 stealth bombers towards Guam, but it was later revealed that this had been a decoy mission to maintain an element of surprise.
Two carrier strike groups accompanying the USS Carl Vinson and USS Nimitz had also been positioned in the Arabian Sea ahead of the attack last year. The USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was also moved to the eastern Mediterranean.
By comparison, the arrival of additional E-11A aircraft in Middle Eastern airspace points to a heightened level of readiness consistent with strike preparations.
Whether or not the United States strikes Iran may be signalled by the scale of its armada in the Arabian Sea. Last June's operation "Midnight Hammer" targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities but weeks before the strikes there were already echoes in the sea.
Open-source defence analyst Stefan Watkins has tracked the arrival of multiple US early-warning and spy aircraft in the region in recent weeks, including at least three E-11A battlefield airborne communications nodes(BACN) now positioned at Al-Kharj Air Base in Saudi Arabia. During the June 2025 strikes, by contrast, only a single E-11A was observed operating in the Middle East.
Watkins noted in a post on X that this pattern “might suggest that strikes are coming sooner rather than later.”
India Today’s Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) team has independently tracked and mapped six E-11A BACN aircraft either postured in the Middle East or operating in rotation. The deployments mark a significant increase in US command-and-control assets in the Gulf, coinciding with the arrival of a US carrier strike group as President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme and its violent crackdown on protests in January.
This comes as US and Iranian officials are set to meet in Muscat today for their first face-to-face negotiations since the strike last June in an attempt to stave off another conflict. Meanwhile, the United States has asked its citizens to leave the west asian country immediately without any help from the US embassy.
There are also signs of increased activity at other US bases across the Middle East this week. The Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in eastern Jordan appears to be acting as a central node for the US buildup. Satellite imagery reviewed by India Today via Copernicus shows about a dozen jets lined up on the tarmac in late January, in the same spot seen at the base in June last year, ahead of Operation Midnight Hammer.
In Oman, activity involving specialised drones and Osprey supply aircraft was tracked by India Today at Duqm Air Base using open-source flight-tracking data.
Since the beginning of January, two Bombardier E-11A aircraft, with tail numbers 23-9048 and 21-9045, were already deployed to the Middle East. This week, another E-11A, carrying tail number 12-9506, arrived at Chania before repositioning to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday, the Bombardier 21-9045 departed Prince Sultan Air Base in Jordan and returned to the United States. By Wednesday, a separate E-11A (22-9047) arrived at Chania before heading to Al Kharj, effectively keeping the US Air Force’s BACN presence in the region at three aircraft.
These modified commercial jets act as a flying communications hub so US forces can share information quickly and securely across broad areas hence often called as ‘Wi-fi’ in the sky.
Equally significant was the arrival weeks earlier of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Arabian Sea. A carrier strike group remains among the most potent symbols of American military power, with an air wing of roughly 70 aircraft.
Iranian forces including drones and its flagship drone carrier Shahid Bagheri have been monitoring the Lincoln. On Feb. 3, the United States shot down one of Iranian Shahed-129 drones after officials said it approached the Lincoln.
The carrier’s location is also corroborated by recent aircraft movements at Duqm Airport in Oman. India Today tracked at least three Osprey supply aircraft making repeated flights between the Arabian Sea and the nearby base beginning Jan. 30. In recent years, the area has reportedly emerged as an important logistics hub for the US Navy, according to US Central Command.
The Abraham Lincoln carries F-35 stealth fighters capable of penetrating advanced air-defence networks. The strike group also includes three destroyers armed with Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, and is typically accompanied by a nuclear-powered submarine equipped with the same weapons.
This is in addition to the two US destroyers already in the region.
Days before the June 2025 attacks on Iran, media reported that US military assets were moving unusually. On June 21 last year, for instance, the US deployed six B-2 stealth bombers towards Guam, but it was later revealed that this had been a decoy mission to maintain an element of surprise.
Two carrier strike groups accompanying the USS Carl Vinson and USS Nimitz had also been positioned in the Arabian Sea ahead of the attack last year. The USS Thomas Hudner, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was also moved to the eastern Mediterranean.
By comparison, the arrival of additional E-11A aircraft in Middle Eastern airspace points to a heightened level of readiness consistent with strike preparations.