In the past two days, a Portuguese Air Force Lockheed P-3C Orion (registration 14807, callsign AFP81) carried out two long patrol missions over the Central Mediterranean, both departing from and returning to Sigonella air base.
The flight tracks shown in the image actually refer to two different sorties, yesterday and today, covering a wide area between eastern Sicily, Malta and the Libyan coast, with several surveillance orbits in front of Tripolitania.
It is not the first time that a Portuguese P-3C has been employed in this area: the aircraft is most likely operating under EUNAVFOR MED “Irini”, the EU mission launched in 2020 to monitor the UN arms embargo on Libya and to contribute to maritime security in the region.
The presence of long-range maritime patrol aircraft such as the P-3C is crucial for intelligence gathering, as well as for the identification and tracking of suspicious naval units, in support of the ships and aircraft deployed by other member states participating in the mission.
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