JANN Weekly(ish) - The Italian Volvo
A Look Back At The First Major C-32B Event Of The Year
In late January 2025, as protesters stormed embassies in Kinshasa, a USAF C-32B (tail number 02-4452 for the Tail Watchers) launched its first overseas mission of the year. Aviation analysts detected 4452's movements through ADS-B flight data just minutes after takeoff. The mission bore all the hallmarks of a major operation: a late-night departure and—contrary to initial reports—no tanker support.
Within hours, the aircraft landed in southern Italy.
Given the unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the aircraft's timely repositioning, this was likely a support operation for the Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST).
Mission Overview
Callsign - VOLVO27
Duration - 4 Days (January 27-31, 2025)
Stops - 2 (Cantania, Italy and Shannon, Ireland)
Possible Purpose - FEST Support.
The Kinshasa Context
Between January 27-31, 2025, Kinshasa, the capital city of the DRC, experienced coordinated attacks on the US, French, and Belgian embassies. Thousands protested M23 rebel advances, leading to several evacuations, according to Associated Press reports. As M23 forces pushed forward in the east, regional tensions escalated, creating direct threats to international staff and citizens in the capital. In response, the US Embassy reduced its staff and issued an immediate evacuation order for all US citizens.
02-4452's VOLVO27 Sortie Itinerary
Here's what's known about the mission, based on flight tracking and open sources:
Jan 27-28: McGuire AFB (KWRI) → Catania Airport, Italy (LICC)
Direct transatlantic flight with no tanker support unlike other missions such as a previous trip another C-32B took:
Jan 30: LICC → Shannon, Ireland (EINN)
Shannon is a common stopover for the US military, much to the dismay of Ireland.
Jan 31: EINN → McGuire AFB (KWRI)
Returns home
Why Catania in Southern Italy?
Flying into Catania positions personnel and equipment within quick reach of Kinshasa while avoiding a more overt deployment directly into contested African airspace. The airport's proximity to Naval Air Station Sigonella, which has previously supported U.S. operations in Africa, adds additional strategic value.
The C-32B’s Relationship To FEST
The C-32Bs are “officially” recognized as the transport vehicle of choice for FEST deployments (though the Gatekeepers won't be truly official until all airframes are acknowledged, but that's a story for another day…):
Low profile, rapid mobility: The nondescript, all-white C-32Bs provide discreet transportation of personnel and cargo in support of the State Department and other agencies.
On-call for Embassy emergencies: FEST deployments occur at the request of the US ambassador or as directed by the Secretaries of State/Defense, particularly during rapid deterioration of security for American citizens abroad.
Timing and context: The sortie directly coincides with the DRC's crisis window, aligning with embassy staff reductions and the US embassy's urgent departure advisory to Americans in country.
What Does This Suggest About US Crisis Planning?
While the US government rarely confirms FEST movements (except for two articles written by FEST's team leader during my research), analysts can piece together deployments from aircraft tail numbers, flight paths, and other open-source information.
Forward Staging Over Direct Insertion: Positioning at LICC exemplifies "just-in-time" crisis response, ready to deploy into the region only if evacuation or intervention becomes necessary.
Air Mobility as Policy Tool: Using the C-32B for these missions demonstrates readiness to deploy rapid, flexible support for diplomatic and consular security, even in remote locations.
Tactical Discretion: The C-32Bs allow for swift action without drawing the attention that conventional military aircraft would attract.
What the Evidence Shows
The flight data, timing, and geopolitical context collectively paint a compelling picture of U.S. crisis response in action. Civil unrest and embassy attacks erupted in Kinshasa in late January. On January 27th, aircraft 02-4452 departed for the region as the U.S. Embassy issued multiple security alerts, reduced staff, and announced an evacuation advisory. By January 31st, 02-4452 had completed its mission and returned home.
This C-32B's routing, McGuire to Crisis Region to Shannon to McGuire, follows established protocols for response staging:
A Direct transatlantic flight suggests urgency (no routine European stops or tanker support)
The Catania positioning provides optimal staging for African operations while maintaining operational security.
A Routine Shannon stop, likely for fuel, aligns with mission completion based on previous patterns.
The likelihood of these elements occurring independently, a C-32B sortie coinciding precisely with a diplomatic crisis requiring potential U.S. intervention, approaches statistical impossibility. The evidence strongly suggests deliberate, coordinated crisis response planning.
Reading Between the Flightlines
This C-32B's January 2025 sortie is a case study in how the US quietly puts contingencies into action amid sudden instability abroad. Its routing, timing, and methods point toward a classic FEST staging in response to credible threats to American interests. Sometimes, the most important stories about US foreign policy are written not in press releases, but in the invisible lines traced across the sky.
Other News
I’ve been adding more aircraft to Crystal Peak, I’ve also been adding interesting information I come across that pertains to specific aircraft. I recently came across this video from Airways Magazine’s YouTube Channel where one of their reporters gets a the opportunity to to fly on Honeywell‘s Boeing 757 testbed, N757HW. I have embedded the video along with the associated ADSB track inside N757HW‘s page on Crystal Peak.
