This morning we tracked an Italian Guardia di Finanza Leonardo PH-139D (reg. MM82009, callsign I2009) flying an extended surveillance mission south of Crete.
The helicopter is operating out of Kastelli Air Base and is deployed in the area as a Frontex asset supporting EU border-control activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The flight pattern shows a wide patrol over international waters south of Crete, close to the boundary between the Greek and Libyan FIRs. This kind of activity is fully consistent with the missions normally carried out by Frontex aerial platforms, including maritime monitoring and search-and-rescue support.
Italy regularly contributes aircraft and crews to EU border-control operations, and today’s mission by the Guardia di Finanza confirms this ongoing commitment in a strategically sensitive area.
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