Fifteen KC-46 Pegasus refueller aircraft of the U.S. Air Force continue to be stationed at Lajes Air Base on Terceira Island, according to on-site observations.
For about a week, the base has seen increased activity of U.S. aircraft. On Tuesday morning, besides the 15 refuellers, which had remained in the same positions for nearly a week, there was only a U.S. Navy C-130 transport aircraft on the runway.
The C-130, typically used for troop and cargo transport, landed on Tuesday evening and took off around 10:20 a.m. local time (11:20 Lisbon time) heading to the naval base in Rota, Spain.
Apart from this aircraft, only commercial flights from SATA and TAP landed and took off at the airport, which serves both civilian and military operations.
On a quiet sunny morning, some onlookers filmed the C-130’s departure, but there was little other activity around the base. Military personnel were visible near the refuellers, but none appeared ready to take off.
On Wednesday afternoon, Lajes hosted 11 KC-46 Pegasus refuellers, 12 F-16 Viper fighters, and a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane. By the end of the week, the remaining refuellers had arrived, but the fighters and cargo plane departed.
Earlier in the week, a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft also visited the base, taking off the same day.
The U.S. Air Force has not provided comments, and the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense stated only that “U.S. European Command regularly receives U.S. aircraft and personnel in transit, in accordance with access, basing, and overflight agreements with allies and partners. For operational security, further details cannot be disclosed at this time.”
On Friday, the base received a C-5M Super Galaxy, the U.S. Air Force’s largest strategic transport aircraft, which departed the following day. Since then, only the 15 refuellers have remained at Lajes.
Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, confirmed that the U.S. may use Lajes Air Base for military operations, including potentially against Iran, without notifying Portugal, but emphasized that the government advocates a peaceful approach.
Rangel explained that U.S. use of the base occurs exclusively under the existing treaty, covering overflight, parking, and occasional aircraft stopovers, with tacit authorizations that have occasionally increased in recent weeks, but remain within the framework of the agreement. Any other operations do not require formal Portuguese authorization or notification.
