Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, home of U.S. Strategic Command, is evacuating all flyable airframes due to severe weather, which includes hail and lightning, heading its direction. As it sits now, a total of nine of the base’s aircraft are being tracked streaming southwest to far tamer climates. The installation has been hit by tornadoes and a terrible flooding incident in recent years, the latter of which it is still recovering from after requiring a billion dollars in repairs.
News of the strange aircraft movements came to my attention through aviation photographer Paul Carter, who had spotted a bevy of RC-135s and other aircraft from the base in the air simultaneously. Other flight trackers have also picked up on the peculiar movements.
The War Zone reached out to Offutt AFB’s public affairs to get a clearer picture of what exactly was going on. We were informed that there was an aircraft evacuation underway due to some very harsh weather heading towards the base. Its fleet of strategic surveillance and command and control aircraft is extremely vulnerable to extreme weather as most sit on the ramp in the open.
We will update this story when more information comes available.
Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com