Italian Patrol Missions Extend Eastward from Souda Bay

Patrol missions over the central and eastern Mediterranean continue for an Italian Air Force ATR P-72A (reg. MM62298). The aircraft has been deployed at Souda Bay AB for three days now, from where it has been conducting a series of long-range patrol missions in an area not typically covered by Italian aerial assets.

These missions, lasting up to seven hours, have been primarily focused between Crete and Libya, although one extended significantly further east, reaching the southwestern area of Cyprus.

In the image above, you can see the flight paths of the last three missions, including today’s operation, which is still underway as of 17:00 CEST.

It remains unclear under whose mandate these missions are being conducted (NATO?) and what their specific objective is. However, it is worth noting how unusual it is to see Italian patrol operations reaching this far east, as they are typically concentrated in the central Mediterranean, particularly in the Ionian sector.