French Air Force E-3CF surveillance mission over the central Mediterranean

This morning, a French Air Force Boeing E-3CF (reg. 702-CB) took off from Avord Air Base, in central France, and headed south for a surveillance mission.

The aircraft turned off its ADS-B transponder at 11:47 CEST off the western coast of Sicily, and remained untracked for nearly four hours. It reappeared on radar at 15:54 while flying over the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Apulia, heading north.

Although we don’t know exactly where the aircraft operated during the gap, it is likely that the mission took place over the central Mediterranean, possibly off the coast of Libya.

In recent days, the area has become a hotspot once again — assuming it ever ceased to be — with Russian naval movements and renewed clashes in Libya. NATO assets, including American, Italian, and now French aircraft, are maintaining a constant watch over the region.