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U.S. Deploys Three U-28A Draco Intelligence Aircraft Over North Atlantic During Tanker Standoff.
As the United States moved to seize the oil tanker Marinera after a prolonged Atlantic pursuit, three U.S. Air Force Pilatus U-28A Draco aircraft were tracked repositioning toward Iceland. The timing suggests a focused intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance push as U.S. officials acknowledged Russian naval vessels, including a submarine, were operating in the wider area.
According to information published by Reuters, on January 7, 2026, the United States is attempting to seize the oil tanker Marinera after a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic, a move U.S. officials say unfolded with Russian military vessels, including a submarine, operating in the wider area. As that maritime standoff sharpened, open-source flight tracking and contemporaneous reporting indicated a near-simultaneous repositioning of three U.S. Air Force Pilatus U-28A Draco aircraft toward Iceland, a pattern that aligns more with a deliberate ISR surge than routine training.
Three U.S. Air Force Pilatus U-28A Draco intelligence aircraft were tracked repositioning toward Iceland as the United States moved to seize an oil tanker in the North Atlantic amid acknowledged Russian naval activity (Picture Source: U.S. Air Force / FlightRadar 24)
Commercial tracking data circulated by aircraft spotters showed three U-28A aircraft using the callsigns AGREE32, AGREE34, and AGREE36 moving north along the United Kingdom on January 7 before pushing into the North Atlantic corridor. The same open-source accounts associated the formation with U-28A tails 01-0415, 05-0482, and 07-0711 and described a short staging stop at Wick John O’Groats Airport in northern Scotland prior to continuing toward Reykjavik-Keflavik. That “springboard” routing matters in air operations terms because it is exactly the kind of flexible, low-visibility step that lets small crews synchronize timing, manage fuel margins, and keep options open while staying close to the operational axis.
The timing also dovetailed with public reporting that Marinera, formerly Bella 1, was nearing Iceland’s exclusive economic zone as Russia dispatched a submarine and other naval assets in what was portrayed as an escort move designed to deter an interdiction. The Financial Times separately reported that tracking data showed the tanker maneuvering northwest of Scotland as the three U-28s and a RAF P-8 Poseidon were observed heading toward the broader area, reinforcing the impression of coordinated airborne monitoring around a single maritime target.
The U-28A Draco is built for precisely this kind of rapid, low-footprint repositioning. The U.S. Air Force describes it as a modified, single-engine Pilatus PC-12 fielded by Air Force Special Operations Command as part of its manned, airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance fleet, procured as commercially available aircraft and then militarily modified for special operations needs. Those modifications are not cosmetic: the Air Force states the aircraft is upgraded with tactical communications capabilities and survivability equipment, and is designed to operate from short runways and semi-prepared surfaces, a key attribute when commanders want to disperse sensors or shift them forward without building a large footprint.
The technical profile explains why Dracos show up when a mission turns time-sensitive. The U.S. Air Force describes the U-28A as flying with a four-person crew of two pilots, a combat systems officer, and a tactical systems operator, powered by a Pratt and Whitney PT6A-67B turboprop rated at 1,200 horsepower, with a published range of 1,500 nautical miles and a service ceiling of 30,000 feet. Hurlburt Field notes that modernization adds electro-optical sensors and upgraded navigation, while an advanced communications suite can establish secure U.S. Department of War and NATO data links, stream full-motion video, and transmit encrypted voice communications. In a maritime interdiction environment, that combination is often more valuable than raw search power: it allows the aircraft to hold a steady overwatch orbit, fuse what it sees into a usable picture, and keep multiple players connected when sea state, distance, and RF congestion can quickly fracture situational awareness.
The platform’s “light tactical fixed wing” identity is also part of the story. The Air Force frames the U-28A as a product of AFSOC’s need for small numbers of mission-specific aircraft acquired rapidly for operational demands, with the early block procured and modified for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Operationally, the fleet is tied to multiple AFSOC squadrons, including the 319th, 34th, and 318th Special Operations Squadrons, with the 5th and 19th SOS conducting formal training, a structure that has historically allowed Dracos to be surged for on-call tasking. The Air Force also states the aircraft are maintained through contractor logistics support, a detail that, while mundane on paper, helps explain how the fleet sustains a high tempo of deployments without the maintenance footprint that would normally follow a bespoke ISR aircraft.
This is why the Wick-to-Iceland move is being watched so closely. A U-28A is not a P-8 Poseidon and does not replace a dedicated maritime patrol aircraft, but it can provide the connective tissue between sensors and decision-makers, particularly if a boarding attempt is being planned or actively rehearsed. Open-source reporting in recent days has highlighted special operations activity in the United Kingdom, including CV-22B Osprey training that observers argued looked consistent with boarding-related profiles, even as U.S. surveillance flights increased.
No U.S. command has publicly tied the Draco flights to the Marinera operation, and flight tracking cannot reveal the precise mission package, onboard sensor fit, or tasking orders for any individual sortie. Still, the convergence is hard to ignore: a publicly acknowledged U.S. attempt to seize a contested tanker, credible reporting of Russian naval presence in the vicinity, and three AFSOC-linked U-28A aircraft moving in close sequence toward Iceland’s main air gateway. The operational implication is that the United States appears to be thickening its airborne command, control and ISR mesh over the North Atlantic choke point, and it is doing so with an aircraft designed to bring full-motion video, secure voice, and NATO-compatible data-links into the same cockpit that can reach austere airfields and stay on call when the situation shifts.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.