NATO reconnaissance aircraft makes unusually short flight over western Black Sea

A NATO reconnaissance and target-designation aircraft made an unusually short flight over neutral waters in the western Black Sea, according to a source in the European Union’s air traffic control services cited by TASS.

The Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II took off from its base in Constanța, Romania, circled several times over international waters and landed approximately 40 minutes later, the source said.

The flight was unusually brief for the aircraft, which typically conducts missions lasting several hours, including flights across the Black Sea from west to east and back.

The source said the aircraft has been repeatedly observed in recent months over the southern Black Sea, generally flying over international waters without entering the airspace of any country other than Romania.

A day earlier, a NATO RQ-4D Phoenix strategic reconnaissance drone was also reportedly observed over the Black Sea for the first time in nearly three months. The drone flew from the Sigonella military base in Sicily and conducted several passes over the southern part of the Black Sea.

By Sabina Mammadli