A typical mission over the central Mediterranean

Many times, we only partially track the missions of the Italian Air Force’s ATR P-72A over the central Mediterranean. In some cases, the ADS-B transponder is turned off, making it impossible for us to track the flight. In other cases, tracking is possible through MLAT, which provides less accurate data and requires better coverage of the area. Other times, as has happened several times this week, the flight is fully tracked because the transponder is left on.

Here, we can see a mission carried out by an Italian P-72A, which reveals a series of interesting clues. First of all, the aircraft ventured very far east, which can be attributed to several factors: it is possible that the mission aimed to prevent illegal immigration (and thus monitored the routes of traffickers departing from Cyrenaica), or they wanted to closely monitor the area where numerous Italian fishing boats operate (which is further south) and which has previously been the scene of attacks on these vessels by Haftar’s militias. Alternatively, the aircraft might have operated as part of the EU’s IRINI mission, which monitors compliance with the arms embargo on Libya.

The ATR then moved westward, particularly off the coast of Misurata, before returning to Sigonella after a “detour” north of Pantelleria. We have tracked similar missions in the past, and although there is no standard pattern for this type of activity, we can say that the tracked flight is part of the “standard” missions carried out by Italian aircraft in this area of the Mediterranean.