US Reconnaissance Aircraft Patrol Over the Black Sea
On Monday, an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft carried out a patrol mission over the Black Sea, according to flight data from Flightradar24. The Boeing RC-135U Combat Sent departed from the Royal Air Force base in Mildenhall, United Kingdom, followed a route across the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, then entered the Black Sea airspace near the Crimean Peninsula before returning to base.
Boeing RC-135U Combat Sent Overview
The Boeing RC-135U Combat Sent is a specialised electronic reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States. Its main task is to gather and analyse radar emissions and other electronic signals from foreign military systems. This capability supports intelligence and countermeasure development for the U.S. and NATO.
Increased Surveillance Since 2022
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, U.S. and NATO surveillance flights over the Black Sea region have increased. Missions are regularly performed by aircraft such as the RC-135, RQ-4 Global Hawk, and P-8A Poseidon. These flights focus on monitoring Russian military activity around Crimea and the broader Black Sea area.
"While such operations are conducted in international airspace, Moscow frequently condemns them as provocative."
Despite these criticisms, these reconnaissance missions remain integral to Western intelligence gathering along NATO’s eastern border.
Summary
US reconnaissance aircraft regularly patrol the Black Sea to monitor Russian military activity, enhancing NATO intelligence despite Russian objections to operations in international airspace.