More MC-130J Commando II aircraft appear with AN/APQ-187 Silent Knight Radar

A pair of United States Special Operations Command MC-130J Commando IIs fitted with AN/APQ-187 Silent Knight Radars at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, 31 May 2026 (Daniel Ledwood)

Recent transits of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) MC-130J Commando II aircraft through Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland have revealed an increased number of AN/APQ-187 Silent Knight Radar upgrades to the fleet.

On 31 May 2026 seven individual MC-130J aircraft arrived at Prestwick for fuel stops before departing for Keflavik in Iceland. Six of the aircraft were visibly equipped with the Silent Knight terrain-following radar (TFR). While it was known that USSOCOM intends to equip its whole MC-130J fleet with the radar, only two aircraft were recorded with it as of 30 May.

All of the aircraft had serial numbers and other identifying marks obscured, as did two aircraft that transited through RAF Mildenhall in March. It is unclear if the aircraft at Prestwick included the previous two or not. The aircraft markings are likely obscured to mask fleet numbers and movements during operations.

According to publicly available flight plan filings, at least two of the aircraft flew to Prestwick from Elefsina Air Base in Greece and were flying onwards to Keflavik in Iceland (it is almost certain all seven aircraft were following the same route). Some aircraft showed sand-coloured staining consistent with desert operations. This likely indicates they were returning to the US from operations in the Middle East.

According to reporting and imagery two USSOCOM MC-130Js were destroyed by US personnel after suffering mechanical failure in Iran between 2-4 April during a combat search and rescue mission following the shootdown of a United States Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagle. It is unknown if these aircraft were also fitted with the Silent Knight modification.