Military plane part of secretive, classified fleet used in first Caribbean boat strike

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

Military plane part of secretive, classified fleet used in first Caribbean boat strike

Updated 6 hr ago
Updated Jan 13, 2026, 6:33 PM ET
PUBLISHED Jan 13, 2026, 5:01 PM ET

The aircraft used in the US military’s first strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a strike which has drawn intense scrutiny and resulted in numerous Congressional briefings, was painted as a civilian aircraft and was part of a closely guarded classified program, sources familiar with the program told CNN. Its use “immediately drew scrutiny and real concerns” from lawmakers, one of the sources familiar said, and legislators began asking questions about the aircraft during briefings in September.

Two sources familiar with the matter told CNN the plane is largely used for reconnaissance and surveillance missions and wasn’t painted the usual grey applied to military planes. Administration officials told lawmakers the aircraft wasn’t pretending to be a civilian aircraft and pointed out the fact that it was using a military transponder and had a military tail number, a source said.

While lawmakers raised concerns in the fall, it’s not clear that the use of the aircraft would violate the law of war which prohibits military personnel from pretending to be civilians to attack an enemy.

Pentagon officials told lawmakers during the briefings that the operation was hurried and that the aircraft was the most available at the time. But one of the sources familiar with the matter said the reasoning didn’t hold up given the intensive planning that supposedly went into the operation and the months-long buildup of US military assets in the region.

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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/13/politics/classified-aircraft-boat-strike-civilian-paint

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