This morning an US Navy Lockheed EP-3E “Aries II” (161410) left Souda Bay AB to make a new ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) mission off Libya.
The signal (without exact position) was lost around 13:30 CET when the aircraft was operating off western Libya.
The Lockheed EP-3 is the signals reconnaissance version of the P-3 Orion, operated by the United States Navy. The aircraft is known by the acronym ARIES, or “Airborne Reconnaissance Integrated Electronic System” .
(thanks to Sergio Scandura)