FORTE10 back over the Black Sea after a long absence

The USAF RQ-4B Global Hawk with callsign FORTE10 has once again been tracked operating over the Black Sea, marking a noteworthy return to an area it had not frequented for quite some time. Departing from NAS Sigonella, the long-endurance unmanned aircraft followed a familiar transit route across Greece and Bulgaria before entering the western Black Sea, where it conducted an extended ISR mission.

In recent months, FORTE10 has been observed far less often over the Black Sea, concentrating instead on the Baltic theatre. This shift reflected a broader trend in NATO surveillance patterns, with increased attention on northern Europe and the Kaliningrad area, while Black Sea coverage was often provided by other allied assets. The reappearance of the RQ-4B in this airspace therefore stands out and suggests a renewed focus on monitoring developments along the Black Sea basin.

Once on station, the Global Hawk flew a classic racetrack pattern offshore, consistent with signals intelligence and wide-area surveillance tasks. Operating at high altitude and well outside contested airspace, the platform is able to collect valuable data while remaining beyond the reach of most air defence systems.

The Black Sea remains a highly sensitive theatre, especially in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the broader strategic competition between NATO and Russia. The return of FORTE10 to this area underlines the continued importance of persistent, high-end ISR capabilities in maintaining situational awareness and tracking military activity along NATO’s eastern flank.