NATO Enhances Black Sea Surveillance With US Boeing P-8A Poseidon Aircraft Deployment

A US Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft has allegedly joined NATO reconnaissance efforts in the Crimean direction, according to the Crimean Wind monitoring group on April 1.

The aircraft, which allegedly arrived from NATO’s Sigonella Air Base in Sicily, is part of a broader surveillance operation that includes NATO Air Force Boeing E-3B Sentry AWACS  aircraft, which continues reconnaissance over the Black Sea, as reported by flight tracking website Flightradar.

This comes after a Russian reconnaissance aircraft entered NATO airspace without an active transponder signal.

German fighter jets from Laage Air Base intercepted the aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-20M, which was flying without a flight plan and failed to respond to radio communications.

The jets reportedly escorted the aircraft until it turned back toward Kaliningrad, exiting NATO-controlled airspace east of the island of Rügen. The German Air Force followed standard NATO protocols throughout the incident.

Earlier, during his visit to Kyiv, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, Kęstutis Budrys, called for restraint from Russia to avoid conflict with NATO or potential occupation of the Baltic states.