Day: February 17, 2026
Three additional E-3 “Sentry” Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft, for a total of four, SHUCK84/85/86/87, have departed the United States in last few hours heading northeast bound for RAF Mildenhall, placing the total number of U.S. Air Force E-3s in Europe at six, all of which will have arrived since Monday.OSINTdefender (@sentdefender)Another E-3 “Sentry” Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft has appeared just now on flight tracking off the eastern coast of Canada and is preparing to cross the Atlantic towards Europe.— https://x.com/sentdefender/status/2023859331066982714
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) Feb 17, 2026
PDFCreator – Wikipedia
The already sizable naval presence in the region is set to expand soon as a U.S. defense official has confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group has entered the U.S. 6th Fleet on their way to the Strait of Gibraltar. Joining the Ford CSG will be two additional Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers, USS Stockdale (DDG-107) and USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), who have been on independent deployments in support of Operation Southern Spear in the Caribbean. The border of the 6th fleet is still a few days away from the Strait of Gibraltar.Intelschizo (@Schizointel)17FEB2026 Updated map of warships operating in Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea.
Latest Updates of Note
IRINS Makran
IRIS Dena
RFS Marshal Shaposhnikov
RFS Boris Butoma
USS Pinckney
Are at Milan 2026 naval exercise off the coast of Visakhapatnam from February 15-25Maritime Security Belt 2026 exercise in the Strait of Hormuz is composed of
IRGCN/IRIN ships along with the following Russian and Chinese ships
RFS Stoykiy
RFS Yelnya
PLAN Tangshan
PLAN Daqing
PLAN TaihuChinese “spy ship” Dayang Yihao has left the region and is now in the Indian Ocean/Bay of Bengal.
Ford Carrier Strike Group has been reinforced with 2 additional destroyers the USS Thomas Hudner and USS Stockdale bringing Carrier Strike Group 12 to 5 destroyers. They’ve also now entered 6th fleet aor territory and are in the Atlantic continuing their voyage towards the Mediterranean. The Carrier Strike Group has not crossed the Strait of Gibraltar yet, despite recirculated 105 day old videos, it is likely to pass the strait within the next 72 hours depending on speed.
Lincoln Carrier Strike Group last spotted 48 hours ago roughly 377 Nautical Miles from Chabahar— https://x.com/Schizointel/status/2023861773904842985
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) Feb 17, 2026
