On July 6 (Moscow time), according to TASS, NATO's Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II intelligence and reconnaissance aircraft are conducting surveillance flights over the airspace of the Baltic countries and the Gulf of Finland.
A source from the European Union (EU) in the field of air traffic control told TASS that the plane departed from a base in the city of Constanta (Romania), then flew in a south-north direction through Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian airspace before turning around near the Estonian coast in the Gulf of Finland.
According to this source, the aircraft did not approach areas bordering Russia and Belarus but maintained operations in the airspace of NATO member states.
The Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II performs its mission at an altitude of about 11km, higher than the corridors for civil aircraft, to serve intelligence gathering and electronic surveillance activities.
This is not the first time this type of aircraft has appeared near the Russian region in recent times.
According to TASS, on July 5, the Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II was also detected operating in international waters in the Black Sea. During that flight, the aircraft moved in a west-south direction and then returned without encroaching on the sovereign airspace of any country.
Air traffic control sources said that Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II flights usually only take place on weekdays. Therefore, it is considered quite rare for the aircraft to continue operating on weekends.
Since the beginning of summer, this aircraft has appeared many times in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea area.
In particular, the Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II was recorded flying around Kaliningrad, a separate Russian territory located between Poland and Lithuania, while still maintaining its route over Lithuanian, Polish airspace and international waters in the Baltic.
Artemis II is a modern electronic reconnaissance platform developed by the US, used by NATO to collect radio signals, monitor military operations and support warfield assessment without encroaching on enemy airspace.
The operation of this aircraft is taking place in the context of NATO preparing to hold a summit, where issues related to European security, strengthening defense capabilities and the situation in Eastern Europe are expected to continue to be key contents.
