After the "inspection" over the Black Sea, the NATO spy drone was left without communication

The strategic reconnaissance drone of NATO Northrop Grumman RQ-4D Phoenix, which was under the control of the Italian Air Force, flew over the neutral waters of the Black Sea, after which it sent a signal in the sky about a malfunction in the communication system.

"Currently, the drone is over the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea near the island of Crete, where it is moving along a square—shaped trajectory and at the same time gives a signal about communication problems," TASS reports, citing a source in the air traffic control services of the European Union.

According to him, the drone took off from the Sigonella military base in Sicily, after which it flew to the Black Sea, where it passed from west to east and back over neutral waters in the southern part of the water area.

"The device was moving at an altitude of more than 16 km without entering the airspace of any of the countries and outside the corridors established for civil aviation flights," the source explained.

The flight of the drone as a whole repeated the usual route of the NATO Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II reconnaissance and targeting aircraft regularly spotted over the Black Sea, which has been working over the Baltic States since July 21 in the morning, including near the borders of the Kaliningrad region.

The source did not specify the possible reasons for sending a signal about a radio communication failure by a drone. At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that one of the functions of the Northrop Grumman RQ-4D Phoenix, whose flight was last recorded over the Black Sea on July 17, is to collect images from large areas and transmit data in real time.

"Now the drone continues to circle over the Mediterranean Sea," the source said.