Unusual tracking this morning. A USAF Boeing RC-135W “Constant Phoenix” (reg. 64-14836 – c/s JAKE21) departed from the United Kingdom and is operating at low altitude (about 6,000 feet) south of Sardinia.
This is the second time in a week that we have tracked this aircraft over the Mediterranean (the last time it operated off the coast of Libya and south of Crete).
Strange mission because its mission is to collect atmospheric samples to detect nuclear explosions. It is therefore difficult to understand what it went to sniff in that area of the Mediterranean.
Poss Ru SSGN/SSN tracking. Ru nuke boats sometimes may emit certain micro-isotopes when air from blowing tanks/recircing comes to surface. Hence the lo alt.