The DHS Jet Fleet That Barely Flies

The Department of Homeland Security bought ten used jets for $464 million under a no-bid contract, saying they were urgently needed for deportation flights. This page tracks what they have actually done since. Between November 1, 2025 and August 18, 2026, 7 of the ten have flown at all and 2 flew in the last 30 days. N476US, N477US produced no ADS-B signal on a single one of the 291 days checked.

$464MContract value
10Jets bought
7Ever seen flying
2Flew in last 30 days
101Flights on record
74 of 291Days any jet flew

The fleet does not behave as one. The 2 Gulfstream business jets account for 31 of the 101 flights on record. The 5 Boeing 737s account for 70, but 41 of those belong to a single aircraft, N471US, and only 1 of the 737s flew at all in the last 30 days.

Purchase details reported by The New York Times, August 13, 2026 ("Homeland Security Paid $464 Million for Airplanes. Then It Parked Them."); tail numbers from rzjets.net.

Fleet map

Tracks for all ten tail numbers on a single day. It opens on August 18, 2026, the most recent day any of them flew; step back with the arrows to see any other day.

The ten aircraft

N471US

idle since July 16, 2026

33days since its last flight (July 16, 2026)

Type
Boeing 737 MAX 8
First seen on ADS-B
November 21, 2025
Flights on record
41
Days with a flight
41 of 291 checked
Also tracked as
ICE charter flights

N472US

idle since July 9, 2026

40days since its last flight (July 9, 2026)

Type
Gulfstream G650 (business jet)
First seen on ADS-B
January 15, 2026
Flights on record
4
Days with a flight
4 of 291 checked

N473US

in use

0days since its last flight (August 18, 2026)

Type
Gulfstream G650 (business jet)
First seen on ADS-B
February 16, 2026
Flights on record
27
Days with a flight
27 of 291 checked

N474US

idle since March 18, 2026

153days since its last flight (March 18, 2026)

Type
Boeing 737
First seen on ADS-B
March 5, 2026
Flights on record
13
Days with a flight
13 of 291 checked

N475US

idle since May 22, 2026

88days since its last flight (May 22, 2026)

Type
Boeing 737
First seen on ADS-B
March 6, 2026
Flights on record
13
Days with a flight
13 of 291 checked

N476US

never seen on ADS-B

Never appeared on ADS-B at all in the period checked

Type
Unknown (no ADS-B trace)
Days checked
291

N477US

never seen on ADS-B

Never appeared on ADS-B at all in the period checked

Type
Unknown (no ADS-B trace)
Days checked
291

N478US

in use

12days since its last flight (August 6, 2026)

Type
Boeing 737
First seen on ADS-B
August 5, 2026
Flights on record
2
Days with a flight
2 of 291 checked

N479US

seen, but never flying

0flights found on any of the 291 days checked since the purchase

Type
Unknown (no ADS-B trace)
First seen on ADS-B
June 2, 2026
Flights on record
0
Days with a flight
0 of 291 checked

N480US

idle since June 1, 2026

78days since its last flight (June 1, 2026)

Type
Boeing 737
First seen on ADS-B
June 1, 2026
Flights on record
1
Days with a flight
1 of 291 checked

Flights by month

How much the fleet flew in each calendar month, split between the Gulfstream business jets and the Boeing 737s.

MonthFlightsBusiness jetsBoeing 737s
November 2025101
December 202511011
January 20261019
February 2026844
March 202637928
April 2026808
May 2026835
June 2026321
July 2026541
August 20261082

Every flight on record

All flights found for the whole fleet in the period checked, newest first. Each date opens that aircraft's track for that day on ADS-B Exchange.

DateAircraftRouteArrival area
August 18, 2026N473USABQ → RICRichmond
August 17, 2026N473USADW → ABQAlbuquerque
August 16, 2026N473USRIC → ADWCamp Springs
August 11, 2026N473USRIC → CEWCrestview
August 6, 2026N478USLCH → LCHLake Charles
August 6, 2026N473USRIC → LWBLewisburg
August 5, 2026N478USLCH → LCHLake Charles
August 5, 2026N473USRIC → LOULouisville
August 4, 2026N473USRIC → NEWNew Orleans
August 3, 2026N473USRIC → LCKColumbus
July 30, 2026N473USRIC → LCKColumbus
July 16, 2026N473USDAL → RICRichmond
July 16, 2026N471USADW → LCHLake Charles
July 9, 2026N472USDAL → MGMMontgomery
July 8, 2026N473USDAL → CDSChildress
June 16, 2026N472USDAL → ELDEl Dorado
June 9, 2026N473USDAL → ABIAbilene
June 1, 2026N480USLCH → MEIMeridian
May 22, 2026N475USLCH → MEIMeridian
May 20, 2026N471USADW → AHNAthens
May 19, 2026N471USLCH → AHNAthens
May 8, 2026N473USADW → DALDallas
May 8, 2026N471USADW → LCHLake Charles
May 6, 2026N473USDAL → ADWCamp Springs
May 6, 2026N471USLCH → ADWCamp Springs
May 4, 2026N473USDAL → DYSAbilene
April 25, 2026N471USLCH → MIAMiami
April 21, 2026N471USMIA → DCAWashington
April 16, 2026N471USMIA → LCHLake Charles
April 13, 2026N471USMIA → LCHLake Charles
April 12, 2026N471USOPRN → MIAMiami
April 11, 2026N471USAZ-0013 → OPRNRawalpindi
April 10, 2026N471USMIA → LBGParis
April 8, 2026N471USLCH → MIAMiami
March 18, 2026N475USIAD → LCHLake Charles
March 18, 2026N474USIAD → LCHLake Charles
March 18, 2026N473USIAD → DALDallas
March 17, 2026N474USATH → KEFReykjavík
March 17, 2026N473USIAD → CHQSouda
March 16, 2026N475USKEF → IADDulles
March 16, 2026N474USATH → OESNRiyadh
March 15, 2026N475USATH → MCTMuscat/Seeb
March 15, 2026N474USATH → TLVTel Aviv
March 14, 2026N475USATH → MCTMuscat/Seeb
March 14, 2026N474USATH → RUHRiyadh
March 13, 2026N475USTLV → ATHSpata-Artemida
March 12, 2026N475USATH → AKHAl Kharj
March 12, 2026N474USATH → TLVTel Aviv
March 12, 2026N473USCHQ → ATHSpata-Artemida
March 11, 2026N475USATH → TLVTel Aviv
March 11, 2026N474USATH → OHSSuhar
March 10, 2026N475USATH → CHQSouda
March 10, 2026N474USATH → TLVTel Aviv
March 9, 2026N475USATH → TLVTel Aviv
March 9, 2026N474USATH → RUHRiyadh
March 9, 2026N473USCHQ → OESNRiyadh
March 8, 2026N475USCHQ → ATHSpata-Artemida
March 8, 2026N474USATH → ELQQassim
March 8, 2026N473USCHQ → ATHSpata-Artemida
March 7, 2026N475USIAD → CHQSouda
March 7, 2026N474USIST → Open oceanUnknown
March 7, 2026N473USSSH → CHQSouda
March 6, 2026N475USLCH → IADDulles
March 6, 2026N474USTLV → ATHSpata-Artemida
March 6, 2026N473USCHQ → Open oceanUnknown
March 5, 2026N474USLCH → BFSBelfast
March 5, 2026N473USIAD → CHQSouda
March 5, 2026N471USLCH → CHAChattanooga
March 4, 2026N473USDAL → IADDulles
March 4, 2026N471USADW → CHAChattanooga
March 1, 2026N471USADW → LGANew York
February 28, 2026N471USADW → LCHLake Charles
February 26, 2026N472USDAL → ADTAda
February 21, 2026N473USDCA → DALDallas
February 20, 2026N473USADW → BLVBelleville
February 19, 2026N473USDAL → ADWCamp Springs
February 17, 2026N471USLCH → GPTGulfport
February 16, 2026N471USLCH → MTJMontrose
February 11, 2026N471USLCH → MTJMontrose
January 29, 2026N471USLGA → DENDenver
January 27, 2026N471USLCH → LGANew York
January 15, 2026N472USHPN → IAHHouston
January 15, 2026N471USBDA → MIAMiami
January 14, 2026N471USPBI → BDAHamilton
January 13, 2026N471USPBI → LCHLake Charles
January 7, 2026N471USIAD → LCHLake Charles
January 6, 2026N471USIAD → LCHLake Charles
January 4, 2026N471USGPT → EFDHouston
January 3, 2026N471USBFM → LCHLake Charles
December 23, 2025N471US? → LCHLake Charles
December 22, 2025N471USADW → PBIWest Palm Beach
December 19, 2025N471USSNN → ADWCamp Springs
December 18, 2025N471USDIA → CRVIsola di Capo Rizzuto (KR)
December 16, 2025N471USAUH → DIADoha
December 15, 2025N471USCHQ → Open oceanUnknown
December 14, 2025N471USDCA → Open oceanUnknown
December 13, 2025N471USGUS → DCAWashington
December 12, 2025N471USADW → BLVBelleville
December 11, 2025N471USADW → ADTAda
December 10, 2025N471USADT → DUADurant
November 21, 2025N471USADT → LCHLake Charles

How this is measured

For every aircraft, every day, this page asks ADS-B Exchange whether that tail number produced a track. Each day is then recorded as one of four things: it flew, it appeared but stayed on the ground, it produced no trace at all, or it could not be checked.

Days that could not be checked are excluded from every total rather than counted as idle — there are 0 of them on record. An absence of ADS-B data is strong evidence an aircraft did not fly, but it is not proof: a transponder can be switched off, and receiver coverage has gaps. Each tail number below links to ADS-B Exchange so any figure here can be checked independently.

Aircraft types come from the transponders themselves. Reporting describes the purchase as seven older Boeing 737 passenger jets plus three business aircraft — two Gulfstreams and a 737 in a luxury configuration. This page does not try to match that description to particular tail numbers beyond the type each aircraft broadcasts, so a 737 here may be a passenger jet or the luxury one.

Purchase details reported by The New York Times, August 13, 2026 ("Homeland Security Paid $464 Million for Airplanes. Then It Parked Them."); tail numbers from rzjets.net. Aircraft are identified by the ICAO 24-bit transponder address derived from each registration.