Satellite Images Show U.S. Strike Aircraft Operating From Salvadoran Airport as Regional Military Build-Up Expands: Report

At least three U.S. military aircraft — including a heavily armed AC-130J Ghostrider gunship — have begun flying missions from El Salvador's main international airport, reflecting an expansion of the United States' military footprint in the Caribbean, according to satellite imagery, air-traffic communications, and flight-tracking data reviewed by The New York Times.

The deployment appears to mark the first known instance of a foreign country hosting U.S. aircraft potentially capable of participating in regional strike operations. Two U.S. military officials, speaking anonymously, confirmed to NYT that the presence of the aircraft is linked to expanded counter-narcotics missions.

The activity is part of a broader U.S. buildup that began in late August as the Trump administration prepared what it called anti-narcotics operations while weighing potential military action in Venezuela. Nearly 10,000 U.S. personnel, along with drones, bombers, and almost a dozen Navy surface vessels, are now positioned across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to reinforce that presence.

The AC-130J, operated by Air Force Special Operations Command, is capable of destroying land and maritime targets using missiles, cannons, and heavy machine guns. A Navy P-8A reconnaissance aircraft and an unmarked Air Force C-40 transport have also been observed at Comalapa's Cooperative Security Location, a small U.S. military installation co-located with El Salvador's international airport, as NYT reports.

The purpose of the C-40 is unclear, but the aircraft has occasionally flown with surveillance platforms, an unusual deployment given its presence alongside a gunship.

Radio communications reviewed by NYT suggest the P-8A has flown at least six missions from El Salvador, while the AC-130J and C-40 have flown at least one each. Aircraft have transmitted location data before leaving Salvadoran airspace, then ceased communication while operating in the Pacific.

In one transmission, a P-8A pilot said the aircraft was "proceeding operationally with due regard in international airspace," using a phrase associated with missions conducted without civilian air-traffic coordination.

John Walsh, director of drug-policy research at the Washington Office on Latin America, said the deployments underscore alignment between President Donald Trump and El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele. "In this area, they seem very well aligned," he said. Neither Bukele's office nor El Salvador's embassy in Washington responded to requests for comment.

The expanding cooperation follows other bilateral agreements between the two countries since Trump returned to office. Washington agreed to pay El Salvador $4.76 million to receive more than 200 deported migrants back in March, according to court filings revealed in U.S. civil-rights litigation in September. The funding was restricted to detention expenses at El Salvador's CECOT prison and explicitly barred from supporting legal aid for asylum seekers.