SYB_DC
Striker
They want them visible so the Russians can roughly gauge what is up there from whom (and roughly infer what else is). It's a de-escalatory tactic. Note that the actual combat aircraft - after all, all those tankers aren't there to refuel nobody - don't have their transponders on. The Russians will still be able to see those on primary radar but won't know exactly what or whose they are.Out of interest why are these planes publicly broadcasting their locations?
Is it a message? They want the Russians to see them? But surely they’d see them without being publicly visible?