U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s aircraft, a Boeing C-32A, made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom on Wednesday after a crack was discovered in the windshield while returning from NATO’s Defense Ministers meeting in Brussels. Flight data indicated the aircraft made a descent to 10,000 feet and turned back towards RAF Mildenhall while squawking 7700.
“On the way back to the United States from NATO’s Defense Ministers meeting, Secretary of War Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom due to a crack in the aircraft windshield,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a post on X. “The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including Secretary Hegseth, is safe.”
Update: #SAM153 diverted to RAF Mildenhall due to a cracked windscreen. https://t.co/15JrgCl2kY pic.twitter.com/diBbdTFvQa
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 15, 2025
In a separate post on X, Hegseth wrote, “All good. Thank God. Continue mission!”
No injuries or damage beyond the cracked windshield were reported. The aircraft, carrying Hegseth and members of his staff, had been en route to the United States following two days of high-level meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
On the way back to the United States from NATO’s Defense Ministers meeting, Secretary of War Hegseth’s plane made an unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom due to a crack in the aircraft windshield. The plane landed based on standard procedures and everyone onboard, including…
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) October 15, 2025
Earlier Wednesday, Hegseth had urged NATO allies to increase their support for Ukraine, emphasizing that additional American-made weaponry would improve the chances of ending the conflict.
“Our expectation today is that more countries donate even more, that they purchase even more, to provide for Ukraine, to bring that conflict to a peaceful conclusion,” he said.
The meeting marked the first gathering of allied defense leaders since recent suspected Russian drone and fighter intrusions on NATO territory, including in Germany, Denmark, and Norway.
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