A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III (callsign RCH856) traced a bizarre, zigzagging flight path over the Persian Gulf on Saturday after departing Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, raising alarms of GPS interference.

The Boeing C-17, tracked at 25,326 feet and 444 knots near Doha, Bahrain, and Dammam, displayed an erratic trajectory—looping and doubling back—suggesting severe navigation disruption, likely tied to electronic jamming suspected to originate from Iran.

Flight data shows the aircraft, bound for Spangdahlem, veered chaotically across the Gulf, a pattern consistent with GPS spoofing or jamming on frequencies like L1 and L2. Iran, which shares the South Pars gas field with Qatar, has long been linked to such tactics, possibly using IRGC systems like the “Rasit” jammer, enhanced by Russian tech. Al Udeid, the U.S.’s largest Mideast base, sits in a tense hotspot, amplifying the stakes.

The incident follows UKMTO reports earlier Saturday of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz facing similar GPS and navigation interference, hinting at a wider electronic warfare campaign. Iran’s history of disrupting air and sea navigation in the region—often as a show of force—adds credence to the theory.

While the U.S. military hasn’t confirmed the source, this episode, paired with maritime reports, underscores a growing threat in the Gulf, where electronic interference could escalate already simmering geopolitical tensions.