Yesterday, a US Air Force Northrop Grumman RQ-4 (registration 10-2046, callsign FORTE15) took off from NAS Sigonella and conducted a surveillance mission over the Red Sea (possibly over Yemen).
It marks the first time we’ve tracked a Global Hawk in this area, although last week we had previously tracked a USAF drone heading south of Israel, which, however, turned back before entering Saudi Arabian airspace.
The image above depicts the drone’s last tracked position. The drone returned to Sigonella this morning, suggesting it might have orbited over Yemen for around twelve hours.
The region is tense following Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Some countries, led by the USA, have threatened military intervention if the situation doesn’t return to normal.