Italian CAEW aircraft flying daily ISR missions over the Ionian Sea as purpose of the deployment remains unclear

Starting on March 4 we began recording a recurring mission carried out over the Ionian Sea by an Italian Air Force Gulfstream E.550 CAEW aircraft. These are very long sorties, lasting up to eight hours, during which the aircraft orbits over the Ionian Sea in three different areas off the coast of Calabria.

In detail, we recorded the following missions:

• March 3 – flown by MM62303
• March 4 – flown by MM62303
• March 5 – flown by MM62303
• March 6 – flown by MM62303
• March 7 – flown by MM62303
• March 8 – flown by MM62303
• March 9 – flown by MM62293
• March 12 – flown by MM62293

The missions therefore took place every day, with only a two-day gap on March 10 and 11.

The aircraft were not involved in the Dynamic Manta exercise (which has in the meantime concluded), nor are they taking part in the Greek exercise Iniochos 2026.

At the same time, it also appears unlikely that these flights are directly linked to the Iranian crisis. Any detection of missiles launched toward Italy — a scenario that as of today appears extremely unlikely — would occur much further east in the Eastern Mediterranean, where ground-based radar sites and naval assets already provide extensive monitoring coverage.

At the moment no NOTAMs indicating air exercises in the area have been issued, although it remains possible that such activities are taking place without a specific public notice.