US Military Conducts Reconnaissance Flight Along Russian Border, Disengagement Line with Donbas

(Source: Interfax-Ukraine; posted March 12, 2018)

The RQ-4B Global Hawk, the unmanned aviation vehicle (UAV) of the U.S. Air Force, has conducted another hours-long reconnaissance flight over the demarcation line in Donbas, according to monitoring data of western aviation resources.

According to the reports, the UAV, designated with the number 05-2024, headed back to NAS Sigonella after a reconnaissance flight at 16,100 meters over eastern Ukraine, around Crimea and along the Russian coastline towards Sochi. The UAV flew within 40 km of the shores of the Crimean peninsula and Russia’s Krasnodar region at the speed of around 700 km per hour.

The flight followed a 4-hour flight on Sunday of another U.S. UAV along the borders of Ukraine’s Luhansk region.

The cost of a RQ-4A Global Hawk aircraft is estimated at $140 million. The cost of flying the UAV for 60 minutes costs around $31,000.