First major NATO air operation over the Black Sea in weeks

Today marked the first major NATO air operation over the Black Sea after several weeks of relative calm.

In the area between the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts, an intense activity took place with the simultaneous presence of multiple NATO assets.

For the first time we tracked a Belgian Air Force F-16 (reg. FA-57) operating in the region. It is highly likely that it was not the only Belgian fighter involved but part of a larger group of jets that took off directly from Belgium, supported by a NATO Airbus A330 MRTT (reg. T-059) out of Eindhoven.

Alongside the Belgian fighters, several other key assets were involved:

• a USAF Boeing KC-135R (reg. 58-0004, callsign VULCN71);
• a French Air Force Airbus A330 MRTT (reg. F-UJCN);
• a French Air Force Boeing E-3CF AWACS (reg. 204).

However, during the operational phase over the Black Sea, the transponders of both the Belgian F-16 and the French E-3 were switched off. This makes it impossible to determine their exact area of operation but strongly suggests that they were flying in coordination, under stricter operational security.

Given the assets involved, it cannot be ruled out that other NATO fighters, possibly French, were also operating in the area, though they were not tracked.

The scope and scale of the mission clearly indicate a show of NATO presence near Crimea and Russian forces in the Black Sea.