US RC-135U operates over Luzon Strait

A US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent intelligence aircraft has been tracked operating over the Luzon Strait, the strategic waterway separating Taiwan and the Philippines. The aircraft, with the callsign AE01D5 and tail number 64-14849, was supported by a KC-135R tanker, tail number 58-0050, which flew out of Okinawa, Japan. The RC-135U is a specialized signals intelligence platform used to collect technical data on foreign radar and communication systems. This flight occurs amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing US military surveillance activities in the Western Pacific.