CNN documents at least 25 missions since February in the vicinity of the island in a pattern similar to that observed before the intervention in Venezuela
14ymedio, Madrid, May 10, 2026 / At least 25 US military flights have been detected near Cuba since February 4, according to a CNN investigation based on open air tracking data and publicly available flight records. The network maintains that the pattern of operations appears to have been deliberately made visible in the context of increased tension between Washington and Havana.
The investigation documents military and intelligence flights around the island, most concentrated in the vicinity of Havana and Santiago de Cuba, some less than 64 kilometers from the coast. In comparison, the US conducted “only a few intelligence flights” of this nature near the island in 2025.
All the routes were identified using open platforms such as Flightradar24 and ADS-B Exchange , commonly used to track civil and military air traffic. “This occurs even though the aircraft involved have the ability—if they so choose—to conceal their presence by turning off their location beacons,” CNN notes.
CNN reports that “similar patterns, in which increased rhetoric from the Trump administration coincided with an increase in publicly visible surveillance flights, occurred before US military operations in both Venezuela and Iran.”
The aircraft involved have the capability – if they so choose – to conceal their presence by turning off their location beacons.
The public exposure raises the question of whether the US is deliberately sending a signal about the presence of these aircraft to its adversaries. Regardless of whether this signal is intentional or not on the part of the US military or government, the message has triggered nervousness among Cuban officials and the public.
On social media, Cuban users are sharing reports of US surveillance flights and fueling growing concerns about a military intervention, like the one that took place on January 3 in Venezuela.
Most of the operations involved P-8A Poseidon aircraft, used by the US for maritime surveillance and reconnaissance missions. An RC-135V Rivet Joint, an aircraft dedicated to electronic intelligence gathering and interception, was also detected, as well as several MQ-4C Triton drones, used for high-altitude aerial observation.
These surveillance flights coincide with a context of growing verbal and political confrontation between Washington and Havana. Recently, the Trump administration has tightened sanctions against the regime and even hinted at intervention scenarios , although sources cited by The Associated Press (AP) have denied that the White House is planning a military operation in Cuba.
Independent of whether that signal was intentional or not on the part of the US Army or Government, the message has triggered nervousness among Cuban officials.
For its part, the Cuban regime has intensified its rhetoric of defending the “homeland”—or, what amounts to the same thing for them, the political system in place on the island—”to the death,” through the so-called “war of the whole people” strategy. However, despite the intense state campaign to demonstrate supposed popular support, public opinion—reflected in the results of the recent independent poll conducted by El Toque —does not appear to back the government.
CNN adds that the operations have been constant since February 4, the date on which Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío gave an interview to the network in which he stated that Havana was willing to talk with Washington, but ruled out any discussion about a change of political system.
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