US 'missile hunter' flies towards key nuclear silos after Iran rejects peace plan

 A US Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft was spotted on a mysterious mission toward America's nuclear silos on Wednesday.

The Cobra Ball, nicknamed 'missile hunter,' is a highly specialized intelligence aircraft designed to collect measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) on ballistic missiles, using advanced optical and electronic sensors to track launches and re-entry phases.

The aircraft supports arms control treaty verification, missile defense analysis and threat assessment.

Flight tracking data showed the jet departing Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska, at 1.48 pm ET, before heading north through the Dakotas.

The jet is currently moving closer to Minot, North Dakota, home to Minot Air Force Base, which manages 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) buried 70 feet underground. 

South Dakota, while no longer hosting operational missiles, once housed about 150 Minuteman II silos during the Cold War, which were decommissioned and dismantled by the early 1990s, though some underground control facilities remain.

The US currently maintains about 400 silo-based Minuteman III missiles across North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, forming the land-based leg of the nation’s nuclear deterrent.

Officials have not confirmed the reason for the flight, but the flight comes shortly after Iran rejected President Donald Trump's peace plan to end the conflict in the Middle East.

FlightRadar24 tracked the Cobra Ball leaving Offutt Air Force Base, where the craft is primarily housed under the control of the 55th Wing and 45th Reconnaissance Squadron.

The jet is currently traveling just miles east of Minot, outside of Devils Lake, about 35 to 60 miles from the outer missile field zones.