NATO RQ-4 Returns to Sigonella After 7600 Squawk, With Unusual Orbit Near North Macedonia

A NATO Northrop Grumman RQ-4D Phoenix (re.g MM-AV-SA0017 – c/s MAGMA11) returned to NAS Sigonella today after reportedly squawking 7600 — the standard code for radio communication failure — during a surveillance mission over the Black Sea.

The aircraft, operating under callsign MAGMA11, later crossed the Balkans before recovering safely in Sicily.

Particularly notable was the drone’s orbit over North Macedonia, positioned in a way that potentially allowed monitoring of both Kosovo and southern Serbia. The pattern stood out from the rest of the mission profile and may indicate temporary ISR focus on the central Balkans during the return leg.

An unusual ISR orbit over North Macedonia

The RQ-4D departed Sigonella this night and headed toward the Black Sea for a long-endurance surveillance mission along NATO’s eastern flank.

The drone squawked 7600 (radio failure) while flying over North Macedonia, but it later continued towards the Black Sea, where the mission was eventually aborted.

The most interesting segment appeared to be precisely the one over North Macedonia, where the aircraft flew a compact orbit close to the region that provides sensor coverage toward both Kosovo and southern Serbia. Given the altitude and ISR capabilities of the RQ-4D, even a relatively limited holding pattern can support wide-area surveillance across multiple sectors.

Such positioning is unlikely to be accidental, especially considering the strategic importance NATO continues to assign to stability in the Western Balkans.

Whether this was linked to a specific operational requirement or simply an opportunistic ISR collection window remains unclear.