Defense Alert: US RQ-4B Global Hawk Drone Returns Over Black Sea to Track Russian Forces.

An American RQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance drone was spotted over the Black Sea on August 31 after taking off from Sigonella Air Base in Sicily, as reported on X by @AirSpecInt. Real-time tracking data from Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft, operating under the call sign FORTE10, carried out several loops over the southern part of the Black Sea before heading west. This flight is part of a series of surveillance operations conducted by the United States in this sensitive region, as tensions between Russia and Ukraine remain high and prospects for a diplomatic settlement continue to appear uncertain.
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A US Air Force RQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance drone, a high-altitude long-endurance aircraft designed for surveillance and intelligence gathering (Picture source: US DoD)

The RQ-4B Global Hawk is the largest reconnaissance drone currently in service worldwide, produced by Northrop Grumman. With a wingspan of nearly forty meters and an endurance of more than thirty hours, it is designed to provide long-duration, high-altitude observation capabilities. Able to fly above 18,000 meters and cover more than 12,000 nautical miles without refueling, it is notable for its endurance, having already set a record flight of 34.3 hours. Its payload capacity of 1.3 tons allows it to carry a suite of sensors including synthetic aperture radars, electro-optical and infrared systems, as well as signals intelligence equipment. The drone is remotely operated by a ground crew consisting of two pilots and a sensor operator, responsible for mission planning, target monitoring, and real-time data exploitation.

This deployment is not an isolated case. Already in May 2025, a drone of the same type had been redeployed to the region after peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul failed. That return over the Black Sea followed a massive Russian drone attack against several Ukrainian regions, one of the largest since the start of the invasion in 2022. The use of reconnaissance drones by the United States reflects an approach aimed at strengthening intelligence collection without resorting to manned aircraft, an option considered politically and militarily more risky.

According to information reported by CNN, the administration of President Donald Trump is also considering integrating the use of drones into security guarantees provided to Ukraine. A European diplomat quoted by the outlet said that Washington remained reluctant to deploy manned aircraft over Ukrainian territory but appeared more open to expanding unmanned missions. This approach serves several objectives: providing early warning in the event of an offensive, sharing actionable intelligence with Ukrainian forces to improve the employment of Western-supplied precision weapons, and maintaining a continuous presence in a region where the balance of power remains fragile.

Russia regularly denounces these operations, accusing the United States and NATO of using their drones to pass targeting information to Kyiv. The Russian Ministry of Defense has warned that the growing number of American flights over the Black Sea increases the risk of incidents with its own aircraft and could lead to confrontation. In March 2023, a collision between a US MQ-9 Reaper drone and Russian Su-27 fighters resulted in the loss of the American aircraft over the Black Sea.

The appearance of the Global Hawk at the end of August confirms that this region remains at the center of strategic rivalry between Washington and Moscow. For Ukraine, the intelligence collected represents a key asset in protecting its infrastructure and armed forces against Russian strikes. For the United States, these flights represent a balance between supporting an ally and avoiding uncontrolled escalation with Russia. However, each mission raises the risk of aerial incidents in an area where increasingly advanced surveillance and defense systems now overlap.

The Global Hawk’s flight over the Black Sea on August 31 illustrates Washington’s continued reliance on unmanned aerial surveillance as a strategic tool. This presence reflects both the importance placed on intelligence gathering and the caution regarding the use of manned platforms, as well as the intention to reinforce support for Ukraine. At the same time, it highlights the constant danger created by the overlapping of American and Russian military interests in a region where any incident could have repercussions well beyond the Black Sea.