Two American surveillance aircraft were observed flying near Libya’s western coast this week, signaling continued US intelligence interest in the central Mediterranean amid heightened attention to maritime activity in the region.
According to the Italian military aviation tracking platform ItamilRadar, both aircraft were engaged in high-altitude intelligence missions over international waters facing western Libya.
The flights focused on monitoring shipping routes, vessel movements, and broader maritime patterns off the Libyan coast.
The first aircraft identified was a US Navy MQ-4C Triton, a long-range, high-altitude surveillance drone used for maritime intelligence and reconnaissance.
Operating under the callsign Blackcats, the drone took off from Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily and conducted a wide-area patrol along Libya’s northwestern shoreline, including areas near the capital, Tripoli.
The second aircraft, a US Army Artemis II surveillance platform, was tracked over the central Mediterranean after departing from the eastern region. Registered under N159L, it flew at approximately 35,000 feet and operated independently of the MQ-4C, covering a separate flight path near the Libyan coast.
Analysts believe the simultaneous operations were aimed at collecting data on commercial shipping traffic, oil export routes, and possible irregular activities in the maritime domain.
