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An Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A (reg. MM62228) took off from Pratica di Mare AB at 16:44 CEST. The tanker arrived over southern Poland where it is carrying out an aerial refuelling mission for NATO fighters carrying out CAP missions on the Alliance’s eastern flank. The mission is unusual because Italian tankers usually operate over Romania. Source link

New mission for a USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 10-2045 – callsign FORTE11), which took off from NAS Sigonella around 22:15 CEST, and it’s now flying off eastern Sicily before to begin its mission. The drone will carry out its mission over Romania and/or Black Sea. Source link

This afternoon we’ve tracked a Royal Air ForceLockheed C-130J (reg. ZZH868) making a flight from the UK to Libya. The aircraft has departed from RAF Brize Norton at 10:10 CEST and it has landed in Misrata, Libya, around 14:54 CEST. The aircraft is now (15.45 CEST) still in Misrata Source link

This morning a USN Boeing P-8A has departed around 09:15CEST from NAS Sigonella over the Black Sea. Most probably they are monitoring the situation in the Black Sea in front of Odesa to understand the intentions of the Russian fleet regarding a possible landing near the Ukrainian city (which today, after the sinking of the Mockva and the retreat towards the open sea of the Russian fleet seems less imminent than a few days ago). Source link

On 19th May 2022, at 07:46 GMT, Atalanta received an alert, through its Maritime Security Centre (MSCHOA), regarding an armed attack against the sailing trimaran LAKOTA, south-east of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah in south Red Sea close to the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb Straight. The boat was reportedly sailing close to the Yemeni shore due to navigation hazard. Three boats, with five person on-board with civilian clothes, reportedly approached the Hong-Kong-flagged sailing boat, firing around 20 warning shots and displaying Rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles. One of the assailants managed to board the vessel. Atalanta quickly shared the information regarding the incident, through […]

New (8th) report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean sea. Warning. This post shows the positions of the main naval groups or other individual units deemed relevant. This post is not exhaustive of all units present at sea at this time. NATO naval forces NATO currently has 4 aircraft carriers available in the central/eastern Mediterranean: 1) The USNavy aircraft carrier USS Truman (CVN-75) is somewhere off western Sardinia participating in Italian Navy exercise “Mare Aperto” 2) Italian aircraft carriers Cavour (C550) and Garibaldi (C551)  are participating in Mare Aperto 2022 exercise in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Several Italian and NATO units are taking part in the exercise. 3) […]

Eventful morning over Romania and the Black Sea area: USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 10-2045- callsign FORTE11) after guarding the border with Moldova moves towards the Black Sea NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90454) orbits the Danube Delta USAF Bombardier CL650 “ARTEMIS” monitors the st border with Moldova and the northern border with Ukraine Turkish Navy ATR P-72 (callsign MARTI95) patrols the waters off Bulgaria meanwhile an Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A (reg. MM62228) is arriving in the area to carry out an aerial refuelling mission Source link

The NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Force has again demonstrated a sustained capability to conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) flights for the Alliance during long-distance missions along the NATO’s eastern flank.   “With this intense Surge Week, the NATO AGS Force has shown that we are on track advancing our capabilities collecting critical intelligence for our NATO leaders,” said Brigadier General Houston Cantwell, Commander of the NATO AGS FORCE. “During the week our aircraft maintenance and communications technicians worked overtime to ensure aircraft were fully mission capable allowing us to fly more total hours than during a comparable two-month period […]

A USNavy Lockheed EP-3E “Aries II” (reg. 160764) left around 8:00 AM CEST Souda Bay AB southbound. The aircraft is making a new ISR mission over Libya but when the Aries left Grek airspace the signal was lost so we can’t know where exactly the mission is performed. Missions are usually carried out off western Libya, but in the past, missions have also been recorded off eastern Libya. Source link

In these minutes a Russian Air Force Antonov An-124 “Ruslan” (reg. RA-82014) is flying over the central Mediterranean towards the east. On 16 May the aircraft made a stopover in Algiers but no further flight is recorded thereafter. We do not have a complete track of its flight but it would appear to be a flight from West (southern Algeria?) or Central Africa (delivery of military equipment?). . Source link

This morning we’ve tracked a new flight between Turkey and Libya: a Turkish Air Force Lockheed C-130H (reg. 63-13188 – callsign TURAF222) has departed around 07:30 CEST from Kayseri AB. The Hercules has arrived in Al-Watiya AB, Libya, around 13:00 CEST. Source link

After a calm morning, NATO surveillance missions in the Black Sea area began again: a NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90446) is orbiting, as usual, over the Danube delta; a USN Boeing P-8A departed from NAS Sigonella is arriving in the area; an RAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. ZZ664) is heading for the central Black Sea where it will operate a surveillance mission Source link

Units and personnel from U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa / U.S. Sixth Fleet joined their Italian counterparts and other Allied navies in the Italian-led exercise Mare Aperto 22-1/Italian Minex 22 in the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, May 15, 2022. U.S. forces participating in the exercise include the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), aircraft assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman’s (CVN 75) Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Laramie (T-AO 203), U.S. Transportation Command-charter commercial tanker motor vessel Maersk Peary, and U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Commander, […]

Different surveillance missions in the Black Sea area this afternoon: the USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 11-2046 – callsign FORTE12) is continuing its mission over western Black Sea; a NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90451) is orbiting over the Danube’s delta; a RAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. ZZ664) is carrying out a surveillance mission over eastern Black Sea Source link

Double surveillance mision carried out by USAF assets in the black Sea theatre: an USAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. 62-4131 – callsign HOMER41) departed from Souda bay Ab is flying ver estaenr Romania near the moldavian border an USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 11-2046 – callsign FORTE12) is orbiting over western Black Sea. this night the drone has operated in the same area wher eis flying now the RC-135 Source link

Very interesting . In this photo of the aircraft carrier “Cavour” (C-550) participating in the exercise of the Italian Navy “Mare Aperto 2022” which is taking place in these days, two Lockheed Martin F-35B can be seen on the deck of the ship. The F-35B seen on the right is an aircarft of the Italian Air Force, as can be seen from the codes on the tail rudder. This is not the first time that an Italian Air Force F-35B has operated from the aircraft carrier Cavour. It has already happened, for example, last November (we talked about it here) The final Italian goal is […]

“FORTE11” (USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B, reg. 10-2045) has departed yesterday evening from NAS Sigonella and it has arrived over the Black Sea at around 23:30 CEST this night. Since then, it has been orbiting the western part of the Black Sea. Evidently, it is considered a priority to monitor what is happening in that part of the sea, especially the one separating the Crimea from Odesa. Source link

The airlift between Italy and Poland continues today. An Italian Air Force Lockheed C-130J (reg. MM62178) is returning to Italy from Rzeszow airport while an Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A (reg. MM62229) departed from Pratica di Mare AB at 17.55 CEST is heading to Poland. The aircraft, carrying military supplies for Ukraine, are not allowed by the Budapest government to fly over Hungary (even though it is a NATO member…) The airlift between Italy and Poland is operated with KC-767As and C-130Js departing from the Pisa or Pratica di Mare air bases. Source link

During the night of 24 February, 2 Turkish Air Force Airbus A400M (reg. 17-0080, 18-0093) landed at Kyiv airport. That same night Ukrainian airspace was closed following the Russian attack and the two aircraft were grounded. Both aircraft were parked in the military zone in the north-east. From the latest satellite image available of the area, taken on 10th of May, both aircraft appear to be parked in the same area and appear, as far as can be understood, to be still intact. Source link

Double mission for two UsNavy assets in the Black Sea theatre: USN Boeing P-8A departed from NAS Sigonella orbits the Danube Delta USN Lockheed EP-3E (reg. 160764) took off from Souda Bay AB is flying along the border with Moldova. Source link

The Italian Air Force Beechcraft B.350ER SPYDR (MM62300) left around 11:45 CEST Paphos airport, Cyprus. The aircraft is returning Italy after almost two weeks spent in Cyprus (the aircraft has arrived in Paphos on 29 April). In these two weeks we’ve tracked regular flight between Italy and Cyprus operated by the other Italian Air Force Beechcraft B350 (MM62317). This aircraft is used to provide logistical support to its “twin”. We do not have complete records of his missions, but from the fragments that are visible probably the aircraft has performed a surveillance mission over the Eastern Mediterranean, probably between the island of Cyprus and […]

New (7th) report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean sea. Warning. This post shows the positions of the main naval groups or other individual units deemed relevant. This post is not exhaustive of all units present at sea at this time. NATO naval forces NATO currently has 4 aircraft carriers available in the central/eastern Mediterranean: 1) The USNavy aircraft carrier USS Truman (CVN-75) has arrived on 10th of May in Naples 2) Italian aircraft carriers Cavour (C550) and Garibaldi (C551)  are participating in Mare Aperto 2022 exercise in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Several Italian and NATO units are taking part in the exercise. 3) French Navy carrier Charles […]

New Air to Air Refueling mission carried out by an Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A (reg. MM62229, f/n IAM1412) over eastern Romania. The tanker has departed at 11:36 CEST from Pratica di Mare AB. The ADS-B transponder had been switched off before the AAR has started. Source link

A USN Boeing P-8A “Poseidon” is landing in NAs Sigonella. The Poseidon has carried out a surveillance mission over eastern Mediterraenan sea. We haven’t the complete track but we’ve tracked two single plots south of Cyprus this morning: we can safely say that the aircraft carried out one of the usual missions off Syria, in the stretch of sea where many Russian navy units are sailing Source link

After a long time this morning we’re tracking a surveillance mission made by a Turkish Air Force AWACS over central mediterranean sea off Libya. The aircraft, a Boeing E-7T (reg. 13-002 – callsign TURAF42) is departed from Konya AB, central Turkey, and now is operating over the central Mediterranean Sea at an altitude of 31.000 feet. Source link

A Falcon 20 (reg. G-FFRA – callsign ZODIAC05) of Draken Europe took off a short while ago from the Araxos base in the Peloponnese. The aircraft is now orbiting over central Greece. Draken Europe is a provider of aircraft for contract air services including military and defense industry customers. The private company – which previously operated as Cobham Aviation Services – uses a fleet of uniquely-adapted Dassault Falcon 20 business jets to provide operational readiness training to military customers. Core to this is the aircraft’s carriage of advanced electronic warfare and electronic attack equipment. In this case, the aircraft is operating in […]

New surveillance missions over eastern Romania this morning. Both focus on the border with Moldova: USAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. 62-4131 – callsign HOMER 41) departed from Soudabay AB USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 11-2046 – callsign FORTE11) departed from NAS Sigonella Source link

A Turkish Air Force Airbus A400M (reg. 16-0055) is in flight from Al-Watiya AB, Libya, to Kaiseri AB. This morning the aircraft has departed from Kaiseri around 07:30 CEST and after a stop in Ankara at 09:51 CEST it has arrived in Libya at 14:09 CEST. Source link

We are tracking an intense air activity in the Black Sea theatre. There is indeed a large amount of assets flying near the western part of it. A NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90443), departed from Preveza AB, is orbiting north of Costanta. A USNavy Boeing P-8A is orbiting over the Danube’s delta while in the same area is operating a UsNavy Lockheed EP-3A (reg. 160764) departed from Souda Bay AB. A NATO Northrop Grumman RQ-4D (reg. MM-AV-SA0016), departed from Sigonella AB, is in flight over central Romania northbound Source link

The airlift between Italy and Poland continues today. An Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A (reg. MM62229) departed at 09:13 CEST from Pratica di Mare AB is landing in Rzeszow airport. The aircraft, carrying military supplies for Ukraine, are not allowed by the Budapest government to fly over Hungary (even though it is a NATO member…) The airlift between Italy and Poland is operated with KC-767As and C-130Js departing from the Pisa or Pratica di Mare air bases. Source link

Another busy afternoon on the Black Sea theatre. They are in flight now: USAF Bombardier CL-650 ARTEMIS along the Romanian border. NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90450) orbiting over the Danube Delta. USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 10-2045 – callsign FORTE11) in flight over the western Black Sea. Source link

The UsNavy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) has arrived this morning in the Bay of Naples, for a scheduled port visit. This is Truman’s second visit to Italy in 2022, the first being their port visit to Trieste April 23. Truman is the flagship of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG); additional elements include the nine squadrons of CVW 1, commanded by Capt. Patrick Hourigan; the staff and guided-missile destroyers of DESRON 28 commanded by Capt. Todd Zenner, which include: USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), USS Cole (DDG 67), USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), USS Gravely (DDG 107) and […]

New mission over the Aegean for a Turkish Navy ATR P-72 MPA. After yesterday’s missions, carried out by two ATRs at the same time, today we record the flight of a Turkish ATR (reg. TCB-751 – callsihn MARTI20) which departed from NAS Cengiz Tope. As happened yesterday the aircraft is operating within the Athens FIR but outside Greek airspace. The final destination of the flight is Dalaman Source link

New entry into the Ukrainian theatre. We have already seen a Swedish Gulfstream at work several times on surveillance missions along the Polish-Belarus border, but today it is the turn of a Norwegian asset. An Royal Norwegian Air Force Falcon 20ECM (reg. 041 – callsign RAVEN17) from the 23rd Air Base (Polish: 23 Baza Lotnicza) in Poland is flying south along the Ukrainian border and is now over northern Romania. This is the first time we are tracking this aircraft in action. Source link

Also today we report a mission of a USN Boeing P-8A in the Black Sea theatre. The aircraft, which took off from NAS Sigonella at 10:51 CEST, is now orbiting over the Danube delta, Romania. The Poseidon is flying over land, but its sensors allow it to monitor the stretch of sea in front of it for several tens of kilometres. From this position, it can also easily control the sea area around Snake Island, which has been the target of several Ukrainian actions against the Russian outpost in recent days. Source link

In these minutes a Turkish Navy ATR P-72MPA (reg. TCB-752 – callsign MARTI02) from NAS Cengiz Tope is operating a mission over the Central Aegean. The aircraft made several orbits north of Kalogerso islets at a lower altitude but always outside the Greek airspace. Usually this kind of missions are carried out without asking clearence to the Greek ATC even if they take place within the Athens FIR. Source link

Snake Island has been occupied by the Russians since the early days of the war as it is a strategic site for the control of the western Black Sea.Since then, however, it has been the object of Ukrainian ‘attention’. It was near Snake Island that the cruiser Moskva was hit and sunk. In recent days, however, the Ukrainian attacks have become more intense and it is clear that more than two months after the start of the war, the Russian air force has not achieved air superiority over the entire Ukrainian territory. Three days ago there was a video of an Ukrainian […]

The airlift between Italy and Poland to send military aid to Ukraine continues. In these minutes (14:45 CEST) they are flying back to Italy (departed from Rzeszow): Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A (reg. MM62227) Italian Air Force Lockheed C-130J (reg. MM62179) Italian Customs ATR-72 (reg. MM62315) Source link

While the NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90454) and USN Boeing P-8A leave the Black Sea theatre, an Italian Air Force Gulfstream E.550 CAEW (reg. MM62303 – f/n IAM1495) has arrived in the area. The USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk (reg. 10-2045) is still in action over western Black Sea. Source link

We are tracking anomalous air activity over the western Black Sea. There is indeed a large amount of assets flying over or near the western part of it. We have already mentioned the USAF Global Hawk (callsign FORTE11) and the NATO AWACS orbiting near the Romanian coast but there is more in the area. A Turkish Navy ATR P-72MPA (reg. TCB-752 – callsign MARTI07) is patrolling the stretch of sea off the Bulgarian coast (we have already traced similar missions in the past few days) but, strangest of all, the RAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. ZZ665) which arrived a short while ago […]

Two NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90451 & LX-N90454) have orbited over eastern Romania at the same time in the last two hours. The first one has departed from Geilenkirchen AB, Germany, the second one from Konya AB, Turkey. It’s not usual to see two AWACS operating at the same time in the same area. Source link

“FORTE11” (USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B, reg. 10-2045) has departed yesterday evening at 23:17 CEST from NAS Sigonella and it has arrived over the Black Sea at around 01:36 CEST this night. Since then, it has been orbiting the western part of the Black Sea. In the last days we’ve tracked several Global Hawk missions in this area. Evidently, it is considered a priority to monitor what is happening in that part of the sea, especially the one separating the Crimea from Odesa. The New York Times reported today that US intelligence about Russian Navy ships movements provided to Ukraine has allowed […]

The Italian Navy’s aircraft carriers, the Cavour (C550) and the Garibaldi (C551) have left the Taranto base in recent days. They are both probably heading to the Tyrrhenian Sea to take part in the “Mare Aperto 2022” exercise, the Italian Navy’s most important exercise, which takes place from 3 to 27 May and in which the aircraft carrier USS Truman and its CSG will also take part. A comparison of satellite images shows that the two ships are not the only units of the Italian Navy to have left Taranto (at least one destroyer and one frigate are no longer present […]

As yesterday, an RAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. ZZ665) operated a mission over the Black Sea. Today, as yesterday, the aircraft focused on the eastern part. Yesterday the western part was the area of operation of a USAF Global Hawk. Today a NATO Northrop Grumman RQ-4D is operating over the Black Sea but with the ADS-B transponder switched off. It is plausible to think that the NATO drone is operating in the same area as the Global Hawk did yesterday. Source link

Two anti-submarine assets left Sigonella AB late this morning. They are an RCAF Lockheed CP-140 (reg. 140114) and a USN Boeing P-8A. Both are heading west. We do not know the reasons for these two flights, but it should be remembered that from 3 to 27 May, the Italian Navy’s “Mare Aperto 2022” exercise will take place in the area around Sardinia, in which the USS Truman will also take part. Source link

At least three NATO assets (all departing from Sigonella) are currently heading towards the Black Sea theatre: NATO Northrop Grumman RQ-4D (reg. MM-AV-SA0016) USN Boeing P-8A USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (callsign FORTE12) Source link

This morning a USN Boeing P-8A which took off overnight from NAS Sigonella is carrying out a surveillance flight over the eastern Mediterranean, in front of Russian infrastructure in Syria and in the vicinity of Russian naval units in the area. Yesterday afternoon a similar mission was carried out by an Italian CAEW. Source link

An Italian Air Force Gulfstream E550 CAEW (reg. MM62303, f/n IAM1495) is flying from Paphos to Pratica di Mare AB. It’s interesting that the CAEW made a stopover in Paphos but from the track that was recorded it seems that the aircraft was on a surveillance mission over the eastern Mediterranean, probably off Syria and the port of Tartus where there are several Russian naval units. Source link

New AAR (Air to Air Refueling) mission for an Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A (reg. MM62229 – f/n IAM1412). The tanker has departed from Pratica di Mare AB at 15:10 CEST and made its mission over eastern Romania north of Bucharest where it has orbited for about 1 hour. Source link

We have written about the USAF Global Hawk (reg. 11-2046 – callsign FORTE10) in flight over the western part of the Black Sea. Now there is also an RAF Boeing RC-135W “Rivet Joint” (reg. ZZ665 – f/n RRR7234), departed from RAF Milddenhall, operating a similar mission but exclusively over the eastern part. Source link

USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 11-2046 – callsign FORTE10) has departed yesterday evening from NAS Sigonella around 01:00 CEST and it has arrived over the Black Sea at around 03:40 CEST this night. Since then, it has been orbiting the western part of the Black Sea. It’s the third time in few days that we track a drone orbiting in this area for such a long time. Evidently, it is considered a priority to monitor what is happening in that part of the sea, especially the one separating the Crimea from Odesa. Source link

This afternoon at 16:05 CEST an Italian Air Force Gulfstream E.550 CAEW (reg. MM62303 – callsign PERSO71) left Pratica di Mare AB to carry out a new surveillance mission. The aircraft is now orbiting over eastern Romania. From this area the aircraft can monitor Moldova (with particular attention to the Russian-controlled region of Transinistria), much of south-western Ukraine and western Black Sea. Source link

New (6th) report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean sea. Warning. This post shows the positions of the main naval groups or other individual units deemed relevant. This post is not exhaustive of all units present at sea at this time. NATO naval forces NATO currently has 4 aircraft carriers available in the central/eastern Mediterranean: 1) The US aircraft carrier USS Truman (CVN-75) and its CSG (Combat Strike Group) is underway off western Sicily westbound 2) Italian aircraft carriers Cavour (C550) and Garibaldi (C551) are in Taranto. 3) French Navy carrier Charles de Gaulle (R-91) left on April 30 Toulon for a training mission De retour le 07/04 […]

This afternoon we are tracking two unusual guests in our skies: a JASDF Boeing 777 (reg. 80-1112) is landing in Rome with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on board an RNZAF Lockheed C-130H (reg. NZ7003 -callsign KIWI53) is landing in Malta coming from RAF Brize Norton. In the last few days this aircraft has made several flights between Greece and Romania, probably related to the war in Ukraine. Source link

New (6th) report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean sea. Warning. This post shows the positions of the main naval groups or other individual units deemed relevant. This post is not exhaustive of all units present at sea at this time. NATO naval forces NATO currently has 4 aircraft carriers available in the central/eastern Mediterranean: 1) The US aircraft carrier USS Truman (CVN-75) and its CSG (Combat Strike Group) is underway in the Ionian Sea 2) Italian aircraft carriers Cavour (C550) and Garibaldi (C551) are in Taranto. 3) French Navy carrier Charles de Gaulle (R-91) left on April 30 Toulon for a training mission De retour le 07/04 […]

“FORTE12” (USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B, reg. 10-2045) has departed yesterday evening from NAS Sigonella and it has arrived over the Black Sea at around 01:30 CEST this night. Since then, it has been orbiting the western part of the Black Sea for about 14 hours. It’s the second time in few days that we track a drone orbiting in this area for such a long time. Evidently, it is considered a priority to monitor what is happening in that part of the sea, especially the one separating the Crimea from Odesa. Source link

Also today we report a mission of a USN Boeing P-8A in the Black Sea theatre. The aircraft, which took off from NAS Sigonella at 10:58 a.m., is now orbiting Constanta, Romania. At this early stage of the mission, the Poseidon is flying over land, but its sensors allow it to monitor the stretch of sea in front of it for several tens of kilometres. Source link

This morning a USN Boeing P-8A has departed from NAS Sigonella over the Black Sea. After a long suspension (since the beginning of the war in Ukraine), in the last few days we have recorded several new Poseidons missions off the Bulgarian and Romanian coast (the first one was on 12 April). Most probably they are monitoring the situation in the Black Sea in front of Odesa to understand the intentions of the Russian fleet regarding a possible landing near the Ukrainian city Source link

Yesterday at 23:38 CEST an Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A (reg. MM62227) landed at Rzeszow airport, Poland, coming from Pisa San Giusto AB. Rzeszow is the hub for the delivery of military aids to Ukraine. So far, nothing strange, since there have been dozens of such flights from Italy to Poland since the beginning of the war. The interesting thing is that this time the flight crossed the airspace of Hungary, which until now had forbidden its use to those carrying arms for the Ukraine (despite Hungary being a NATO country…). Below you can see the route of a past flight […]

This morning, around 09.30 CEST, a couple of Italian Air Force Eurofighter was scrambled from Grosseto AB to intercept a TradeAir Airbus A320 (9A-BTI) that had lost radio contact with the ATC (Air Traffic Control) as it flew from Stocholm to Rome Fiumicino. The scramble order was issued by Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) –Torrejon (Spain), the NATO headquarters in charge of surveillance in that area, while the Italian Air Force Air Defence and Surveillance System’s Operations Room provided control over the operation. Source link

“FORTE10” (USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B, reg. 11-2046) has departed yesterday morning from NAS Sigonella and it has arrived over the Black Sea at around 15:00 CEST yesterday afternoon. Since then, it has been orbiting the western part of the Black Sea for about 21 hours. Never before have we seen a drone orbiting the same area for such a long time. Evidently, it is considered a priority to monitor what is happening in that part of the sea, especially the one separating the Crimea from Odesa. Source link

The Hellenic National Defence General Staff has declared that on Wednesday, 27 April, there were 41 violations of Greek airspace by aircraft of the Turkish armed forces. In detail, 18 aircraft were intercepted in Greek airspace, 16 of which were fighter jets (10 of which were armed). Airspace violations can be of different types, deviations of a few kilometres or overflying Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. On Wednesday it seems that both occurred. the last year Greek media released a video showing a dogfight between an Hellenic Air Force Mirage 2000-5EG Mk.II of 332 Mira, departed from Skiro AB, and a Turkish Air […]

This morning around 12:00 CEST an USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk (reg. 10-2046 – callsign FORTE10) has departed from NAS Sigonella to carry out a new surveillance mission in the Ukrainian theatre. The USAF Global Hawk missions cover two areas: Poland and/or the Black Sea Source link

This morning at 09:52 CEST an Italian Air Force Gulfstream E.550 CAEW (reg. MM62303 – f/n IAM1495) left Pratica di Mare AB to carry out a new surveillance mission. The aircraft is now orbiting over eastern Romania. From this area the aircraft can monitor Moldova (with particular attention to the Russian-controlled region of Transinistria), much of south-western Ukraine and western Black Sea. Source link

This evening we’ve tracked a Turkish Air Force Airbus A400M (reg. 21-0118 – c/s TUAF221) departed from Isparta AB and directed to Libya. The aircraft has landed in Misrata around 21.00 CEST. This afternoon also a RAF Boeing C-17A has arrived in Misrata (it’s already came back to RAF Brize Norton) Source link

This afternoon we’ve tracked a Royal Air Force Boeing C-17A (reg. ZZ174 – flight number RRR6372) making a flight from the UK to Libya. The aircraft has departed from RAF Brize Norton at 12:22 CEST and it has landed in Misrata, Libya, around 15:45 CEST. We’ve already tracked similar flights in the past. The nature of these missions remains unknown. Source link

New (5th) report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean sea. Warning. This post shows the positions of the main naval groups or other individual units deemed relevant. This post is not exhaustive of all units present at sea at this time. NATO naval forces NATO currently has 3 aircraft carriers available in the central/eastern Mediterranean: 1) The US aircraft carrier USS Truman (CVN-75) and its CSG (Combat Strike Group) has arrives on Saturday in Trieste. After 4 days, on Wednesday morning the carrier left Trieste for the Ionian Sea 2) Italian aircraft carriers Cavour (C550) and Garibaldi (C551) are in Taranto. 3) The Standing NATO Maritime […]

This morning there is (as usual) a lot of military traffic flying towards the Black Sea: a French Air Force Boeing E-3F (reg. LX-N90454) departed from Avord AB is orbiting over Romanian coast of the Black Sea north of Costanta; a USN Lockheed EP-3E (reg. 160764) departed from Souda bay AB is carryng out a surveillance mission near the border between Romania and Moldova; a NATO Northrop Grumman RQ-4D (reg. MM-AV-SA0018) departed from Sigonella AB is also flying to the Black Sea too. Source link

New (5th) report on the naval situation in the Mediterranean sea. Warning. This post shows the positions of the main naval groups or other individual units deemed relevant. This post is not exhaustive of all units present at sea at this time. NATO naval forces NATO currently has 3 aircraft carriers available in the central/eastern Mediterranean: 1) The US aircraft carrier USS Truman (CVN-75) and its CSG (Combat Strike Group) has arrives on Saturday in Trieste. 2) Italian aircraft carriers Cavour (C550) and Garibaldi (C551) are in Taranto. 3) The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 is underway in the eastern Mediterranean sea 4) The Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures […]

This morning at 10:32 CEST an Italian Air Force Gulfstream E.550 CAEW (reg. MM62303 – callsign PERSEO71) left Pratica di Mare AB to carry out a new surveillance mission. The aircraft is now orbiting over eastern Romania. From this area the aircraft can monitor Moldova (with particular attention to the Russian-controlled region of Transnistria) and much of south-western Ukraine. Source link

Around noon yesterday, a USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 11-2046, callsign FORTE10) has departed from NAS Sigonella to carry out a surveillance mission in the Black Sea theatre. A first part of the mission took place near the border between Romania and Ukraine while a second part took place on the Black Sea.It is interesting to note that, compared to previous missions, the drone came closer to the Crimean coast. During this mission, the Global Hawk was able to monitor western Ukraine, Transinistria and the entire Black Sea. Source link

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen (F310) arrived in Trieste, Italy, while the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56) arrived in Porto di Marghera, for scheduled port visits, April 23, 2022. Ciao Italia 🇮🇹 #USSSanJacinto (CG 56) pulls into Porto di Marghera, Italy for a routine port visit. San Jacinto is on a scheduled deployment in the @USNavyEurope area of operations in support of U.S. national interests, security, and stability in Europe and Africa. pic.twitter.com/gmTb3GA2wj — U.S. Navy (@USNavy) April 26, 2022 Since arriving to the Mediterranean […]

For the second time since the begin of the war in Ukraine, we’re tracking a mission of a manned aircraft over the Black Sea. As in the first time, it’s an RAF aircraft. It’s a RAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. ZZ665), arrived ove the Black Sea around 13:00 CESt and still orbiting over the eastern part where it ispossible to monitor the Azov Sea. Source link

This morning there is a lot of military traffic flying towards the Black Sea: An HAF Embraer EMB-145 AEW&C (reg. 729) is operating in the area, orbiting the Bulgarian coast; a NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90454) departed from Konya AB is flying towards Romania; a USN Boeing P-8A is heading for the Black Sea; a NATO Northrop Grumman RQ-4D (reg. MM-AV-SA0018) departed from Sigonella AB is also flying towards the same area. Source link

Between 11:00 and 12:00 CEST an Aerial Refueling took place over southern Piedmont, involving two Italian Air Force Boeing KC-767A and 4 Lockheed F-35. The AAR activity took place within the area called R64. At the end of the activity, one of the two Boeing KC-767A (MM62228) continued northward, while the other (MM62229) is returning to Pratica di Mare AB.Together with the tanker that is flying north, there are four Italian Air Force Lockheed Martin F-35As flying towards Iceland. Indeed an Italian Air Force F-35A fighter detachment is lined up to deploy for two months to Iceland in support of NATO’s […]

A USNavy Boeing P-8A has landing around 20:15 CEST in Sigonella after a patrol mission over the Black Sea. During the flight over the Black Sea the aircraft switched off the ADS-B transponder but we can say with good certainty that the mission took place in front of Romania and Bulgaria. Most probably the Poseidon has monitored the situation in the Black Sea in front of Odesa to understand the intentions of the Russian fleet regarding a possible landing near the Ukrainian city (which today, after the sinking of the Mockva and the retreat towards the open sea of the Russian fleet seems […]

Another morning of air activity over the Ionian Sea: A USN Boeing P-8A left Sigonella to conduct a new mission over the eastern Mediterranean. a USNavy Sikorsky MH-60R (reg. 166564) is also flying in the area. We don’t know which unit the helicopter belongs to, but it is moving from the central Mediterranean to the upper Ionian Sea. Source link

This morning at 09:15 CEST an USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk (reg. 10-2045 – callsign FORTE12) has departed from NAS Sigonella to carry out a new surveillance mission in the Ukrainian theatre. The USAF Global Hawk missions cover two areas: Poland and the Black Sea. Source link

Turkish air space has been closed to military and civilian planes carrying troops from Russia to Syria after consultation with Moscow, Turkey’s state broadcaster TRT Haber cited Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying on Saturday. “We closed airspace to Russia’s military planes and even to civilian planes going to Syria and carrying soldiers,” Cavusoglu was quoted as saying to reportersy. He said permission had been given for three month periods until April, and then the flights stopped. It is not clear from this statement whether only flights carrying troops or also flights carrying armaments will be restricted. It should be remembered […]

A USNavy Lockheed EP-3E Aries II (reg. 160764) is carrying out a surveillance mission over eastern Romania. The Aries has departed from Souda Bay AB at 07:40 CEST and it has arrived around 09:20 in the area of operations (Eastern Romania) where it’s still operating. With its sensor the aircraft can monitor the Odessa area, the sea off the coast, Transinistria and south-west Ukraine. Source link

For the first time since the begin of the war in Ukraine, we have tracked a mission of a manned aircraft over the Black Sea. In the past few days we have tracked several missions by US Navy Poseidons, but these always were carried out next into Romanian and Bulgarian FIR. In this case, however, we’ve tracking a mission over all the Black Sea, which has so far only been carried out by USAF and NATO drones. It was an RAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. ZZ665) that remained in the area for about two hours, orbiting in the eastern part of its […]

We are again tracking NATO air activity south of Crete this morning. At the moment a USNavy Sikorsky MH-60R (reg. 166564) and a RCAF Lockheed CP-140 (reg. 140103) are flying in the area. The “Sea Hawk” has departed from a not trackable USNavy unit, the “Orion” from NAS Sigonella. In this area Russian naval surface and underwater units are active. Source link

The USNavy aircraft carrier USS Truman (CVN-75) will arrive in Trieste tomorrow officially for a “technical operational stop”, after a two-month period of exercises in the Adriatic, Ionian, Aegean and eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Truman will remain at anchor for reasons of draught and she will leave Trieste on Wednesday. As you can see in the image the carrier is now underway in the central Adritic sea northbound. Source link

This morning a USN Boeing P-8A has departed around 11:00 CEST from NAS Sigonella over the Black Sea. After a long suspension (since the beginning of the war in Ukraine), in the last few days we have recorded several new Poseidons missions off the Bulgarian and Romanian coast (the first one was on 12 April). Most probably they are monitoring the situation in the Black Sea in front of Odesa to understand the intentions of the Russian fleet regarding a possible landing near the Ukrainian city (which today, after the sinking of the Mockva and the retreat towards the open sea […]

The Royal Navy submarine HMS Audacious (S122) left Gibraltar yesterday and headed for the central Mediterranean. The British submarine, during the stop in Gibraltar, has been loading Tomahawk cruise missiles  In Gibraltar was berthed, the same time, the US navy submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729), which was there after a deployment in the eastern Mediterranean. HMS Audacious is an Astute-class nuclear-powered submarine. HMS Audacious, the fourth submarine in the class, was launched in April 2017. The submarine can be employed in a variety of important roles. These include covert intelligence gathering and strategic strike using the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile. Source link

An Italian Navy Piaggio P.180 (reg. MM62213) has departed this morning from Pratica di Mare AB southbound. The aircraft is landed in Tripoli around 10:30 CEST. An auxiliary naval unit of the Italian Navy is deployed in Tripoli for logistical support to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard and Libyan Navy. Source link

NATO’s surveillance of the Black Sea remains high. A NATO Boeing E-3A (reg. LX-N90443) is orbiting eastern Romania while a USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 10-2045, callsign FORTE10) flies over the Black Sea. The entire Black Sea basin is thus monitored in real time by NATO assets. Source link

Today we’ve tracked a new Turkish Air Force flight between Turkey and Libya. A Lockheed C-130H (reg. 68-01609 – callsign TUAF222) has departed from Ankara at 08:48 CEST with direction western Libya. The aircraft’s final destination is Al-Watiya  AB, west of Tripoli, where the Hercules will lande around 14:30. Source link

A new full day over the central-eastern Mediterranean. This morning a USN Boeing P-8 returned to Sigonella after an overnight mission over the eastern Mediterranean. USN Boeing P-8A returns to NAS Sigonella after a patrol mission over the eastern Mediterranean.Before the begin of #UkraineRussiaWar, these flights were fully trackable, but now it’s common for the Poseidons to switch off the ADS-B transponder during the mission.#Russia #NATO pic.twitter.com/GeCpQzC2XK — Itamilradar (@ItaMilRadar) April 20, 2022 Shortly before, an RCAF Lockheed CP-140 (reg. 140103) took off and is now (11:30 CEST) south of Crete. In the same area there is also an HAF Embraer […]

A USNavy Boeing P-8A is returning to Sigonella after a patrol mission over the Black Sea. During the flight over the Black Sea the aircraft switched off the ADS-B transponder but we can say with good certainty that the mission took place in front of Romania and Bulgaria. this area (especially to the north) is only a few miles from the Russian Black Sea Fleet area of operation. Source link

A new mission into Athens FIR for a Turkish Navy aircraft. Around 12:45 CEST a Turkish Navy aircraft, an ATR P-72MPA (callsign MARTI95, reg. TCB-752) left Dalaman southbound. After few minutes the aircraft entered into Athens FIR (flight information region) north east of the Island of Rhodes. The plane is continuing its flight over the southern Aegean northbound, avoiding entering the Greek air space. These types of missions, referred by Athens as provocations, are usually carried out without the authorization of the Greek air controllers. In these days Turkish exercise Mavi Vatan 22 is taking place in the Aegean Sea Source link

Surveillance mission carried out by an Hellenic Air Force Embraer EMB-145 AEW&C (reg. 729) departed from Lemnos. The aircraft is orbiting over Black Sea Bulgarian coast. From this position, its sensors can cover the airspace of Romania and Bulgaria on the Black Sea. Source link

This morning two sea patrol mission will carry out by assets departed from Sigonella: Italian Air Force ATR P-72A (reg. MM62280) left the sicilian airbase to perform a new Ionian Sea mission USNavy Boeing P-8A has departed from the same air base to carry out an eastern Mediterranean patrol mission Source link

This afternoon we tracked, in the Ionian Sea, a US Navy Sikorsky MH-60R (reg. 167054). The helicopter belongs to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, specifically to the “Proud Warriors” of HSM-72, embarked on a unit of the Truman CSG. However, we do not know on which specific unit the aircraft is embarked. Source link

This morning we tracked an Italian Air Force Beech B.350 SPYDR (reg. MM62300) landing around 11:00 CEST in Paphos, Cyprus. The SYPDR can carry out both SIGINT/COMINT (Signal/Communication Intelligence) and ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) missions. The aircraft has performed a surveillance mission over the Eastern Mediterranean, probably between the island of Cyprus and Syria/Lebanon. During the flight the aircraft switched off the ADB-S transponder so it is not possible to know exactly in which area the Beech operated. In the sea area east of Cyprus several Russian Navy vessels are reported. Source link

Yesterday afternoon we’ve tracked a new mission of a USN Boeing P-8A departed from NAS Sigonella over the Black Sea. After a long suspension (since the beginning of the war in Ukraine), in the last few days we have recorded several new Poseidons missions off the Bulgarian and Romanian coast (the first one was on 12 April). Coincidentally (or not?), the missions were resumed just before the sinking of the cruiser Moskva. Most probably they are monitoring the situation in the Black Sea in front of Odesa to understand the intentions of the Russian fleet regarding a possible landing near the […]

Last night we tracked an unusual mission of a Turkish Navy ATR P-72 MPA (reg. TCB-751, callsign GUMUS68) in the southern Aegean Sea. This morning another Turkish Navy ATR P-72 (reg. TCB-754, callsign MARTI54) took off from Dalaman and orbited for a long time southeast of the island of Rhodes (in an area slightly further north than the one monitored by last night’s aircraft). Then the ATR continued northwards and landed at about 11:20 CEST in Canakkale. After a short stop (les than an hour) in Canakkale the ATR has departed again to carry out a new mission, this time in […]

Once again this morning the central Mediterranean is seeing very heavy air traffic: a pair of USNavy Grumman C-2As (reg. 162157, 162159) departed from NAS Sigonella towards the USS Truman sailing in the Ionian Sea a USNavy Boeing P-8A is returning to Sigonella after a mission over the eastern Mediterranean. a Hellenic Air Force Leonardo C-27J (reg. 4117) is carrying out a flight along the Greek FIR limits a Turkish Navy ATR P-72 MPA (callsign MARTI1) is carrying out a mission over the Aegean Sea. Source link

It is unusual for both a NATO and a USAF drone to take off from Sigonella at the same time, but this morning it happened:the NATO Northrop Grumman RQ-4D (reg. MM-AV-SA0017) and the USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (reg. 10-2045 – callsign FORTE10) left the Sicilian base at around 10:00 CESt to head towards the Ukrainian theatre. It is very probable that this double departure is also due to the need to directly ascertain the damage of the Russian cruiser Moskva, hit last night by a Ukrainian anti-ship missile and apparently abandoned by its crew. Source link

This morning we’re tracking an intense air activity over the central Mediterranean: Italian Air Force ATR P-72A (reg. MM62279) departed from Sigonella AB is carrying out a patrol mission with ADS-B trasnsponder switched off USNavy Boeing P-8A departed from Sigonella AB is in flight over central Mediterranean sea eastbound (not visible) USNavy Grumman C-2A departed from USS Truman (underway in the aouthern Ionian Sea) is landing in NAS Sigonella Hellenic Air Force Embraer EMB-145 AEW&C (reg. 729, callsign OURAN31) departed from Elefsis AB is carrying out a surveillance mission west of Crete Several Russian naval units are reported in the central […]