Today, the usual FORTE mission over the Black Sea did not unfold as planned.
The USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B (registration 10-2045 – callsign FORTE11), which took off from NAS Sigonella, had to return to base (completely autonomously) upon reaching the Black Sea due to communication issues.
However, communication problems were resolved along the Sicilian coast, where the drone orbited for an extended period.
The control link was down therefore it started to return. The link was later restored and it resumed its mission.
— MeNMyRC (@MeNMyRC1) December 4, 2023
Consequently, FORTE was able to return to the Black Sea, where it is currently operating as of 17:30 CET