Early today, six US Navy EA-18G Growlers departed NAS Oceana as part of Coronet East 037, supported by four USAF KC-46A Pegasus tankers, in a movement that strongly points to a new operational deployment toward the Middle East. The aircraft reached Naval Station Rota in recent hours, using the Spanish base as a familiar staging hub for onward operations.
The formation consisted of two Growler elements, callsigns TABOR51 and TABOR61, each comprising three aircraft. Both packages were refueled en route by KC-46A tankers operating as GOLD31, GOLD32, GOLD41 and GOLD42, a classic Coronet-style ferry profile designed to move combat aircraft rapidly across the Atlantic with minimal stops.
All six EA-18Gs subsequently landed at NAS Rota, confirming the base’s continuing role as a forward logistical and operational gateway between the continental United States and theaters further east. From Rota, Growlers can be reconfigured, rested, and then pushed forward toward the Eastern Mediterranean or directly into the Middle East, depending on tasking and regional requirements.
The presence of multiple KC-46A tankers on this leg is notable. While Coronet movements are routine, the scale and timing of this transfer suggest preparation for sustained operations rather than a short-term exercise. Electronic attack assets like the EA-18G are in particularly high demand in current Middle Eastern scenarios, where suppression of enemy air defenses, electronic surveillance, and protection of strike packages remain critical.
The six EA-18G aircraft assigned to VAQ-132 departed Puerto Rico, heading back to the United States after completing their deployment in support of Operation Southern Spear.
With the EA-18Gs now on the ground at Rota and tanker support already repositioned, the next steps may unfold quickly. Whether the aircraft continue east in the coming days or remain temporarily in Spain, today’s Coronet East 037 transit is a clear indicator that US electronic attack assets are once again being positioned closer to the Middle East at a moment of persistent regional tension.
Hello, I would like to ask you a question. I followed the refueling aircraft when they arrived to land, but I didn’t see the F-18s behind them. So I wanted to know how you saw them. I only have a Gold account on Flightradar24. Is that why I can’t see them?
Our images are not always simple screenshots from the FR24 screens. Very often, as in this case, they are the result of combining multiple OSINT sources, which leads us to reprocess and reinterpret the data.
For this reason, it is normal that on FR24 you did not see the tankers or the Growlers: they were included in the image on the basis of data and information coming from other sources.
We choose the FR24 graphics because, as of today, they are the clearest and most intuitive available.
Okay, thank you for your reply. Have a good day!
Is it necessary to have 4 KC-46 tankers to support 6 Growlers? I didn’t realize that it took so many tankers to get 6 aircraft across the Atlantic.