US Military Aircraft Operating Without Transponders Raises Concerns Amid Increased Incidents

A second near midair collision involving a US Air Force aerial refueling tanker was reported near Venezuelan airspace on December 13, 2025. The incident occurred when a Falcon 900EX business jet flying from Aruba to Miami encountered the tanker without an active transponder. The crew described the opposing aircraft as ‘something big,’ initially mistaking it for a widebody airliner. Air traffic controllers later indicated the unidentified aircraft was maneuvering irregularly. This follows a similar incident one day earlier, when a JetBlue A320 flying from Curaçao to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport reported that a US military tanker crossed directly in front of their flight path without an active transponder.