[t0mas88]

It's expected for military operations to fly without transponder, they don't want to have their location visible. But it's crazy that they're also doing it in Curacao controlled airspace without agreeing a restricted area.

Even for training they set up restricted/military areas in airspace all the time. Not doing it here, in allied (Curacao is part of the kingdom of the Netherlands) airspace is unacceptable. They could have coordinated this in the normal ways so ATC would route civilian traffic around the military operations or talk to the military controllers (who can see both types of traffic) before sending an aircraft through the shared airspace.

This isn't new, it's how military operations are done all the time.

[neom]

Just a reminder the US military also conducts training operations around large civilian airports within the USA, with their ADS-B turned off, in this instance resulting in the death of 67 people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Potomac_River_mid-air_col...

[fsckboy]

>Just a reminder the US military also conducts training operations around large civilian airports within the USA

that's misleading.

"The helicopter was part of the Continuity of Government Plan, with the flight being a routine re-training of aircrew in night flight along the corridor. In emergencies, elements of the US government would use it to evacuate the capital." Since the helicopter training flight needs to take place in proximity to the US government, and the airport serves Washington DC, they are of necessity juxtaposed.

the US military does not seek out large civilian "airports" within the USA to run training operations. In this case it's just "airport" that happens to be near where the training needs to take place.

[afandian]

Presumably they have flight plans, can listen to ATC, RADAR etc.

So what's the plan? Just expect everyone to get out of their way?

[aftbit]

Big sky

[afandian]

Too big to fall

[IAmBroom]

Technically the sky is still fine.

[prossercj]

Is it? I heard that it was falling.

[PunchyHamster]

Do they have possibility of receiving the civilian transponders ? Even if it was off they shoudld've picked different flight height...

[jeroenhd]

Curacao is a few kilometers of the Venezuelan coast, but the Americans have deemed the entire ocean north of Venezuela as military operations. The people in charge probably don't even know Curacao isn't part of Venezuela.

With effectively no military and the Dutch government being an American lapdog, I doubt the people in charge need to care. They're already out there with orders to commit war crimes, shooting down an airliner or two that gets too close to their military aircraft wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run.

[fusslo]

> The people in charge probably don't even know Curacao isn't part of Venezuela

assuming Lieutenant General Evan Lamar Pettus is in charge

"""

Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Bellevue University

Master of Science in Logistics Sciences, Air Force Institute of Technology

Master of Strategic Studies, Air War College

Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training

U.S. Air Force Weapons School graduate

Squadron Officer School

Air Command and Staff College

Combined/Joint Forces Land Component Commander Course

Combined Force Air Component Commander Course

Senior Joint Information Operations Applications Course

Combined Force Maritime Component Commander Course

Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course

Operational and Leadership Training

Qualified as a command pilot with more than 2,700 flight hours in aircraft including the F-15E and A-10, and multiple combat deployments (Operations Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent Resolve).

Completed F-15E Weapons Instructor Course

"""

but yeah, he probably doesn't know Curacao isn't part of Venezuela.

[ceejayoz]

“Lieutenant General Evan Lamar Pettus” is not “in charge”.

Trump and Hegseth are.

[fusslo]

are you suggesting trump and hegseth planned the refueling route?

Be real.

[jasonlotito]

> Curacao is a few kilometers of the Venezuelan coast, but the Americans have deemed the entire ocean north of Venezuela as military operations.

Are you suggesting Lieutenant General Evan Lamar Pettus did that? Or Hegseth and Trump? Because that's clearly what hte parent was referencing. So, please, explain to me how Lieutenant General Pettus deemed the entire ocean north of Venezuela as military operations on their own without the involvement of Hegseth or Trump. Or admit you are wrong.

[ceejayoz]

Pettus won't have planned the route, either.

(Hegseth may've accidentally texted it to a reporter, though. That'd be on brand.)

It's very clear that the upthread comment was referring to the administration - headed by a guy prone to word salad and outright lies - not the folks way, way down the chain doing the flight plans.

[nrhrjrjrjtntbt]

The camel has taken a lot of straw in 2025 but:

> shooting down an airliner or two that gets too close to their military aircraft wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run.

Would surely break its back?

[jeroenhd]

I used to think that about so many things the Americans have been doing that I no longer have faith that there is a limit to the absurdity.

[nosianu]

Look, I understand, but we have a concrete event here that is being discussed and there is no evidence anywhere for what you came up with. Adding feeling-based imagination instead of sticking to facts just makes the discussion much worse - and much closer to behavior you seem to object to.

[nucleardog]

This same comment could be posted verbatim on practically any past discussion about terrible things that have happened and been happening. At what point is it fair to raise or discuss the bigger problems?

[Fluorescence]

Did the the camel gain a single stalk when the Vincennes crossed into Iranian territory and shot down a passenger jet?

[sigwinch]

Yes. Of course. It ended the tanker war.

Iraq and Iran had been pissant slap-fighting over oil tankers for years. The tanker war ended with the Vincennes incident.

[Fluorescence]

A "straw on the camel's back" would mean the war crime earned negative domestic political repercussions.

"Ending the Tanker War" is clearly not that. It was the deployment's objective so I fear there are ghouls who would celebrate it.

[TitaRusell]

The Americans literally want Venezuela to shoot at them so that they can use it as a justification.

But Maduro ain't no fool.

What people may not know is that Curacao- like many Carribbean islands- is entirely dependent on tourism. Basically they're fucked.

[t0mas88]

Well this was a JetBlue airliner, presumably full of American tourists. Probably not a very popular move to shoot that down.

[Suzuran]

Turning the transponder off only prevents civilian ATC from knowing your identification and altitude. They will still see your position as a primary target on their radar.

[gpvos]

Trump doesn't understand the word "allied".

[ulfw]

It's a tanker not a stealth fighter.

[ErroneousBosh]

> It's expected for military operations to fly without transponder

It's been a problem specifically with US military aircraft for years that they just wander into other people's airspace with transponders off and expect to have it all to themselves.

We should just start shooting down anything big enough to need a transponder that is not using one. Doesn't matter who's in it, doesn't matter what it's for.

[dxdm]

> We should just start shooting down anything big enough to need a transponder that is not using one. Doesn't matter who's in it, doesn't matter what it's for.

Maximum destructive, irreversible response.

Even if you think this is sometimes warranted, have you thought of the edge cases? You seem perfectly happy to be shot down yourself, sitting in your airplane with a failed transponder.

What's gotten into you to want to kill people so much?

[ErroneousBosh]

There are already things in place for dealing with failed transponders.

It's bad enough that the US already deliberately shoot at their allies (look at all the "friendly fire" incidents the US cause) without them sneaking about in protected airspace without identifying themselves.

If there's a military plane flying around without any identification, it's either a Russian flight up to no good or an American one up to no good.

[shlant]

> We should just start shooting down anything big enough to need a transponder that is not using one. Doesn't matter who's in it, doesn't matter what it's for.

indistinguishable from what someone in the current administration would come up with

[ErroneousBosh]

Unfortunately the current administration just lets the Americans and the Russians tell it what to do and puts up with murderous attacks from both with a shrug of the shoulders.