Media: US deploys "nuke sniffer" aircraft near Russian nuclear bases Following Moscow’s Nuclear Warning

On August 5, United States Air Force aircraft, specially equipped to detect atmospheric nuclear activity, carried out an extended surveillance mission near Russia’s nuclear facilities in the country’s northwest, according to Newsweek.

Flight tracking data reveals WC-135R Constant Phoenix, a specialised plane often referred to as a “nuke sniffer,” departed from RAF Mildenhall — a key Royal Air Force base in eastern England — before flying northwards along Norway’s western coastline.

It then carried out multiple orbits over the Barents Sea, north of Murmansk and near the Russian Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya, returning to the UK after nearly 14 hours in the air, according to the tracking platform Flightradar24.

This region is of strategic importance, bordering NATO members Norway and Finland, and hosting critical naval and air bases that support Russia’s Northern Fleet, a cornerstone of Moscow’s nuclear deterrent.

The WC-135R is specifically designed to gather atmospheric data to enforce the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibits nuclear explosions in the atmosphere.

The aircraft can detect radioactive particles released by nuclear detonations in near real-time.

Recent Russian statements suggest Moscow no longer recognises restrictions on the deployment of certain nuclear and conventional missiles, escalating tensions with the West.

Analysts monitoring the flight speculate it may be linked to possible tests of Russia’s nuclear-powered cruise missile, the 9M730 Burevestnik, at Novaya Zemlya — a site with a history of nuclear testing.

The ongoing strategic rivalry continues amid heightened nuclear rhetoric from both sides, with concerns over new missile deployments and the erosion of Cold War-era arms control agreements.

By Aghakazim Guliyev