Mysterious Military Spy Plane Circles Over Seattle for 2 Weeks

Mysterious Military Spy Plane Circles Over Seattle for 2 Weeks
CASA CN-235-300 airplane, callsign SPUD21, serial 96-6042, at Boeing Field airport, Seattle, Wash., on July 23, 2017. (Woodys Aeroimages/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Petr Svab
8/5/2017
Updated:
10/5/2018

A military spy plane of mysterious origin and purpose had been flying in circles over the Seattle area for almost two weeks.

Starting on Monday, July 24, the plane was flying daily missions, sometimes over 6 hours long, making tight circles over Seattle and the surrounding suburbs. It took a break on Saturday, July 29, and then continued daily flights until Thursday, Aug. 3.

It mostly used the Boeing Field airport in Seattle and the nearby Renton Municipal Airport.

CASA CN-235-300 airplane, callsign SPUD21, serial 96-6042, at Boeing Field airport, Seattle, Wash., on July 23, 2017. (Woodys Aeroimages/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
CASA CN-235-300 airplane, callsign SPUD21, serial 96-6042, at Boeing Field airport, Seattle, Wash., on July 23, 2017. (Woodys Aeroimages/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The CASA CN-235-300 transport aircraft has been extensively modified to include advanced communications and surveillance capabilities.

Based on its outward features, it’s been equipped with ultra high-frequency satellite communications, a surveillance system, and other specialized equipment, according to Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick, The Drive’s military and aviation correspondents.

CASA CN-235-300 airplane, callsign SPUD21, serial 96-6042, at Boeing Field airport, Seattle, Wash., on July 23, 2017. (Woodys Aeroimages/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
CASA CN-235-300 airplane, callsign SPUD21, serial 96-6042, at Boeing Field airport, Seattle, Wash., on July 23, 2017. (Woodys Aeroimages/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

CASA CN-235-300 airplane, callsign SPUD21, serial 96-6042, at Boeing Field airport, Seattle, Wash., on July 23, 2017. (Woodys Aeroimages/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
CASA CN-235-300 airplane, callsign SPUD21, serial 96-6042, at Boeing Field airport, Seattle, Wash., on July 23, 2017. (Woodys Aeroimages/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

“This particular CN-235, with the serial 96-6042, is one of six that researchers commonly associated with the Air Force’s top secret 427th Special Operations Squadron. Recent pictures of the other aircraft show they are all in relatively similar configurations at present,” Rogoway and Trevithick wrote.

They speculated the plane could have been flying mock surveillance missions as a training exercise. Another possibility is the plane was testing its surveillance equipment on unwitting Washingtonians, “though this could spark serious privacy concerns if true,” the authors wrote.