U.S. reconnaissance aircraft flies over Russia's naval base in Syria, another over Kaliningrad
A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft flew over Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad on Saturday, Interfax reported, citing websites that track the movement of military aircraft.
A U.S. RC-135W with tail number 62-4139 reportedly took off from RAF Mildenhall in the U.K. and flew off the coast of Kaliningrad.
Also on Saturday, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft with tail number 168 761 flew over Russia’s Tartus naval base in Syria.
The Poseidon, which took off from the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily, reportedly circled over the Syrian coast near Tartus.
Yesterday, a P-8A carried out the same mission over Russia’s naval base in Syria. The day before, two Poseidons were active near Russia’s naval flotilla, which is en route to the Syrian coast where it will presumably participate in military operations in support of the Syrian government.
Cases of US reconnaissance aircraft approaching Russian borders and military facilities have become more frequent over the last month, particularly near the coast of the Crimea, the Russian bases in Syria, as well as areas of the deployment of Russian naval warships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.