A US P-8A Poseidon aircraft has carried out a mission over the western Black Sea, east of Varna. The US Navy aircraft's flight was tracked on October 19 after its arrival in Varna from Sigonella Air Base.
The route shows several turns over the sea area, with parts of the flight being at an altitude below 9,000 feet. Such a profile is consistent with maritime patrol and surveillance of surface activity, but tracking data alone does not allow the aircraft's exact mission to be established.
The P-8A Poseidon is a multi-role maritime patrol aircraft. It is designed for anti-submarine and anti-ship operations, reconnaissance, surveillance and tracking of surface and underwater targets. Its systems include radar, electro-optical sensors and intelligence-gathering equipment.
Mission comes amid attacks on ships
The flight comes amid a series of incidents involving merchant ships in the western Black Sea. In early October, two ships were attacked in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, sinking one. In the following days, new attacks were reported off the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts. The Associated Press reported that at least several cargo ships were hit in the series of incidents, and two sank.
On October 13, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev described a new attack on a merchant ship off Bulgaria as “absolutely unacceptable” and stated that it took place in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters. Responsibility for the attacks remains under investigation and public assessments of the possible perpetrator are not supported by definitive evidence.
An aircraft such as the P-8A can contribute to the surveillance of maritime traffic and to building a more complete picture of the movement of vessels. In this particular case, however, there is no direct evidence that the mission was connected to the recent attacks on merchant ships.
First such activity in months
The significance of the flight is also determined by the very presence of the American aircraft in the area. According to ItaMilRadar data, no US Navy P-8A has been tracked for several months, performing a mission over the Black Sea. The plane remained in the focus of surveillance due to the combination of the low altitude of the flight, the area east of Varna and the tense situation around the maritime trade routes.
Sources: itamilradar.com, apnews.com, investing.com