A USAF Northrop Grumman RQ-4B “Global Hawk” drone (registration 11-2046, callsign FORTE10) was tracked today performing a long-range surveillance mission over the Black Sea.
The unmanned aircraft took off from Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily and flew northeast, traversing Greek and Bulgarian airspace before reaching the western sector of the Black Sea. Once on station, the drone carried out a series of racetrack orbits in international airspace just off the Romanian and Ukrainian coasts, a common pattern for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) operations in this area.
These missions, frequently conducted by the USAF and NATO allies, are aimed at maintaining constant situational awareness and gathering intelligence on Russian military deployments and movements, especially in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and rising regional tensions.
The RQ-4A Global Hawk, operated by the United States Air Force, is a high-altitude, long-endurance ISR platform capable of conducting missions over vast areas for extended periods. Its presence in the Black Sea underlines the strategic importance of this region and the continued Western military interest in monitoring developments close to Russia’s southern flank.
Following the surveillance segment of its flight, FORTE10 was expected to return to its base in Sigonella, completing yet another mission in support of allied intelligence operations.
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