Secret Air Force spy jet seen circling over states home to America’s missile silos amid tense Iran nuclear talks

A US Air Force spy plane was spotted Friday flying over several states where the US land-based nuclear missile force is located.

The Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint is a high-tech aircraft designed to support “consumers domestically and in the field with near real-time on-site intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.”

Flight tracking data showed the plane left Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska, around 9:44 a.m. before heading north through the Dakotas.

The plane first traveled to South Dakota, passing through the central and eastern regions that once housed the Minuteman II silos beneath Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City.

He then settled in North Dakota, near Minot, home to one of the densest concentrations of active missile silos in the country.

The 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base oversees about 150 Minuteman III silos scattered across rural areas of north-central North Dakota, some extending southeast toward Bismarck.

The United States currently maintains about 400 Minuteman III missiles based in silos in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, forming the land arm of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.

Although officials have not confirmed the reason for Friday’s mission, it comes as President Donald Trump has said he is “not satisfied” with nuclear negotiations with Iran but would wait to see what happens in further rounds of negotiations.

Flight tracking data showed the plane left Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska, around 9:44 a.m. before heading north through the Dakotas.

“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we need. This doesn’t delight me. We’ll see what happens. We’ll talk later,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House today.

“We’re not really happy with the way they’re negotiating. They cannot have nuclear weapons.

Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after the latest nuclear talks in Geneva failed on Thursday, as American forces continue to build up in the region.

Trump has threatened military action if Iran does not agree to a sweeping deal to curb its nuclear program, while Iran insists it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and denies it wants to develop nuclear weapons.

FlightRadar24 first showed the Rivet Joint leaving Offutt Air Force Base, where the aircraft is primarily housed under the control of the 55th Wing and 45th Reconnaissance Squadron.

During Friday’s mission, the aircraft flew four loops, flying over historic Minuteman II missile sites.

A Minuteman II missile was an improved American intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with improved range, speed, and targeting, featuring an advanced guidance system and a powerful warhead.

The Rivet Joint can accommodate more than 30 personnel, including cockpit crew, electronic warfare officers, intelligence operators and flight maintenance technicians.

The US Air Force’s RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft is designed to detect, identify and geolocate electronic signals, providing on-site intelligence data in near real time (stock image)

It is designed to “detect, identify and geolocate signals,” providing immediate intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.

Last year, the Rivet Joint was spotted during a mysterious mission over Mexico’s Gulf of California, a region known as a cartel stronghold.

Tracking data captured the U.S. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft that took off from Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on Feb. 5, flying southwest toward California.

The Rivet Joint then headed south along the west coast of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, moved north into the Gulf of California, and returned to base on Tuesday.

The plane appeared to remain in international airspace while operating near Mexico. It did not reach the end of the Gulf blocked by the Mexican territorial sea.

However, the region falls under the influence of the Sinaloa Cartel, a large and notorious drug trafficking organization.

Relations between the United States and Mexico remain strained due to continued drug trafficking and illegal immigration into the United States.