Media: NATO surveillance aircraft conducts rare weekend mission over Black Sea

A NATO-operated Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II reconnaissance aircraft conducted a rare weekend surveillance mission over the Black Sea on July 4, according to a source in the European Union's air traffic control services cited by Russia's state news agency TASS.

The source said the aircraft took off from its home base in Constanța, Romania, and flew over international waters in the Black Sea, making repeated west-to-east passes without entering the airspace of any country.

According to the source, the Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II normally operates on weekdays, making weekend flights unusual.

"This is the second time this summer that its flight has been recorded on a weekend; the last time, in June, it was on a Sunday," the source told TASS.

The aircraft was reported to be flying at an altitude of approximately 11.5 kilometres, outside the routes used by civilian air traffic.

The source also said the reconnaissance aircraft has been regularly deployed over the Black Sea since early June. It has also been observed operating near Russia's Kaliningrad region, flying through the airspace of Lithuania and Poland and over international waters in the Baltic Sea.

By Sabina Mammadli