Lead

A NATO Boeing E-3A Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft has been circling over the Gulf of Riga in Latvian airspace, according to a source in EU air traffic control services cited by TASS. The aircraft, controlled by the Netherlands, took off from an airfield in Siauliai, Lithuania, where it has been based for the past few months.

The source told TASS that the aircraft is operating at an altitude of almost 9 kilometers, primarily over the waters of the Gulf of Riga. The same aircraft was spotted circling near the Black Sea coast in Romanian airspace over the past weekend, the source added.

Coverage Comparison

TASS published two reports on the NATO aircraft's activities in the region. The first, dated July 12, described a Boeing E-3A Sentry circling off the Black Sea coast in Romania's airspace. The second, dated July 13, reported the same aircraft over the Gulf of Riga in Latvia. Both reports rely on a single unnamed source within EU air traffic control services.

The Romanian report noted that the aircraft, registered in Luxembourg, took off from Siauliai, Lithuania, and flew over central Romania, accompanied by a Boeing KC-135T Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft. After making several circles in the area, it flew to Romania's Black Sea coast, where it continued its flight at an altitude of nearly 9,000 meters.

The Latvian report, published a day later, said the same aircraft was spotted in Romanian airspace over the weekend, and that it had previously flown near the border between Romania, Poland, and Ukraine.

Key Claims

  • A NATO Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft has been circling over the Gulf of Riga in Latvian airspace, according to a source in EU air traffic control services cited by TASS.
  • The aircraft is controlled by the Netherlands and took off from an airfield in Siauliai, Lithuania, where it has been based for the past few months.
  • The same aircraft was previously seen circling near the Black Sea coast in Romanian airspace, as reported by TASS on July 12.
  • The aircraft's onboard equipment allows it to detect and identify aerial objects at a distance of up to 400 km.
  • A similar mission by a Boeing E-3A Sentry took place in late June, according to the source.
  • The aircraft was accompanied by a Boeing KC-135T Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft during its Romanian flight, as stated in the July 12 TASS report.
  • The source did not specify the purpose of the current flight over the Gulf of Riga.
TASS also noted that 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. The purpose of these flights was not disclosed in the reports.