The United States has sent another group of six fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, F-35A Lightning II, to the Middle East, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine.

On Sunday, after a transatlantic flight and with the support of three KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft, the planes made a stopover at Lakenheath Air Base in the United Kingdom for further deployment to the Middle East, The Caspian Post reports.

Previously, the United States deployed a similar group of six aircraft to the region. An American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea also hosts a squadron of 12 F-35C fighter jets. Last Tuesday, one of them shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone that approached the carrier. In addition to the F-35C, the aircraft carrier also hosts three squadrons of F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, as well as aircraft for electronic warfare and long-range radar detection.

Photo credit: lockheedmartin.com

According to the report, the U.S. Air Force has already deployed three squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagles, one squadron of F-16 Fighting Falcons, and one squadron of A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft at airbases in the Middle East. In addition to combat aircraft, the U.S. has also deployed air defense assets in the region, including Patriot missile defense systems and THAAD anti-missile defense systems, the publication notes.

Recently, Turkmen media, citing the FlightRadar24 flight monitoring platform, reported that U.S. Air Force transport aircraft C-17A Globemaster III and MC-130 Super Hercules had landed in an undisclosed area of Turkmenistan. The exact landing location has not been officially revealed. Of particular interest is the MC-130 Super Hercules, which is used for the transport of special forces, night operations, aerial refueling, and helicopter resupply, as well as performing unconventional takeoffs and landings.

The U.S. aircraft carrier strike group led by the Abraham Lincoln continues to patrol the Arabian Sea, conducting operations with its carrier-based aircraft. According to CENTCOM, the carrier is currently located 500 miles (800 km) off the coast of Iran. The strike group includes the destroyers USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy, and USS Frank Petersen, which are equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 miles (1,600 km).

Meanwhile, on Monday, an Iranian drone was spotted flying over the Gulf of Oman. This marked the first drone flight by Iran over a maritime area in the region since a carrier-based F-35C fighter jet shot down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone that had approached the American aircraft carrier.

On Monday, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft conducted a flight over the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, according to data from the aviation resource Flightradar24. The aircraft took off from Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. During its multi-hour mission, the P-8A Poseidon flew over the Strait of Hormuz, cruising between the Persian and Oman Gulfs. The day before, the P-8A Poseidon conducted another multi-hour flight over international waters in the central part of the Persian Gulf, from north of Bahrain to the UAE.

The strengthening of the U.S. air presence in Europe and closer to the Middle East comes amid statements from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the potential for a strike on Iran if no agreement is reached over its nuclear program.