The U.S. Navy’s Boeing P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft has reportedly joined NATO’s surveillance mission over the Black Sea. This was reported on April 1 by the monitoring group “Crimean Wind,” citing data from the flight tracking portal Flightradar.
According to the group’s Telegram channel, the aircraft may have arrived from NATO’s Sigonella Air Base in Sicily. It could be part of a broader surveillance operation, which already includes the NATO Air Force’s Boeing E-3B Sentry. The E-3B Sentry is an airborne early warning and control aircraft currently conducting reconnaissance over the Black Sea.
This development follows an incident in which a Russian Il-20M reconnaissance aircraft entered NATO airspace without an active transponder signal. German fighter jets from Laage Air Base intercepted the aircraft and escorted it until it left NATO-controlled airspace and returned to Kaliningrad.
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The Russian Il-20M was reportedly flying without a flight plan and did not respond to radio communications. As a result, German quick reaction alert (QRA) jets, tasked with maintaining the security of NATO and national airspace, carried out a standard interception and escort procedure in accordance with the Alliance’s established protocols.
Additionally, in early February, another Russian aircraft violated Polish airspace. A Su-24MR entered 6.5 km into Polish territory and remained there for a total of 1 minute and 12 seconds.
Earlier, during his visit to Kyiv, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys urged Russia to exercise restraint. According to him, NATO intelligence has reached a consensus that Russia poses a long-term direct military threat to the Alliance.
“This assessment is well-founded. It is based on Russia’s plans and capabilities, which are being developed and positioned very close to NATO. They have invested in this for decades and are clearly preparing for a long-term confrontation with NATO,” stated Kęstutis Budrys.
Source: united24media
