MOSCOW, July 12. /TASS/. NATO's Boeing E-3A Sentry early warning and control aircraft is circling off the Black Sea coast in Romania’s airspace, a source in the European Union’s air traffic control services has told TASS.
"A NATO plane, registered in Luxembourg, is now flying in circles in the Black Sea area, in Romania’s airspace," the source said.
In his words, the plane took off from Lithuania’s Siauliai and flew over central Romania, accompanied by Boeing KC-135T Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft. After making several circles in the area, the plane flew to Romania’s Black Sea coast, where it continues its flight at the altitude of almost 9,000 meters.
The source did not specify the goal of the flight, saying only that the plane’s onboard equipment allows to detect and identify aerial targets at the distance of up to 400 km. "The previous similar mission by Boeing E-3A Sentry took place in late June," the source added.
Over the past few months, another NATO aircraft - a US-made Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II intelligence and reconnaissance plane - has often been spotted over the Black Sea’s neutral waters.