France Deploys Maritime Patrol Aircraft to Protect Black Sea Shipping

France has deployed an Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft for operations in the Black Sea following a series of drone attacks on merchant vessels near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria.

The Romanian media outlet Curs de Guvernare reported this, citing flight-tracking data for military aircraft.

According to the publication, a French Navy Atlantique 2 (ATL2) maritime patrol aircraft arrived in Constanța, Romania, on October 18.

On October 24, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said during a visit to Varna, Bulgaria, that the Atlantique 2 had been operating in the region for two weeks as part of NATO missions.

According to the minister, the French aircraft had also taken part in rescue operations following recent attacks on merchant vessels. Barrot recalled that three vessels had been attacked, one of which sank within minutes about 100 kilometers from Varna.

Meanwhile, a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, which arrived from Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, patrolled the western Black Sea near the Bulgarian coast.

Militarnyi previously reported on the deployment of a U.S. P-8A Poseidon to patrol Bulgarian waters on October 19.

The deployment of additional patrol aircraft comes amid a deteriorating security situation in the western Black Sea.

On October 17, two Romanian Air Force F-16 fighters shot down two Geran-family strike drones that had violated Romanian airspace over the country’s territorial waters.

Following the series of attacks, Romania initiated a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, which took place in Brussels on October 20.

Following the meeting, NATO decided to strengthen surveillance of the Black Sea, including through additional patrol aircraft, radar systems, drones and reconnaissance units.