This morning, an interesting mission was carried out by a US Navy Triton (reg. 169804 – c/s BLACKCAT5) drone that took off from Sigonella. The drone headed toward the eastern Mediterranean, executing a series of orbits along its route.
The first orbit, which lasted about an hour, between 3 and 4 AM, took place southwest of Crete. It could, though this is speculative, be the location of the Russian submarine Novorossiysk, which is reportedly heading toward Syria.
Another orbit occurred (both on the outbound and return journeys) south of Cyprus. It’s possible that Russian naval units are present in the area.
In addition to the BLACKCAT mission, a surveillance mission by a Royal Air Force Boeing RC-135W (reg. ZZ666) was also observed. The aircraft first orbited off the coast of Syria, then moved over Iraq (likely near the Syrian border), before returning to the eastern Mediterranean, where it is currently operating (12:30 CEST).
While part of this activity is routine, it appears more intense than usual, possibly in connection with Russian naval activity in the region, which may be related to the Okean-24 exercise.