One of NATO’s most advanced strategic reconnaissance and surveillance drones was tracked flying over northern Albania, near the border with Kosovo, on November 10, according to data from the flight-tracking platform Flightradar24, AlbanianPost reports.
The unmanned aerial vehicle, identified as the Northrop Grumman RQ-4D Phoenix, was operating under the callsign MAGMA10 and registration number MM-AV-SA0015.
Flight-tracking data show that the drone entered Albanian airspace from the Adriatic Sea before continuing northeast across the country.
Its recorded flight path included a manoeuvre near the border with North Macedonia, followed by a flight towards the Kukës area, close to Kosovo.
At one point during the flight, the drone was recorded at an altitude of 15,880 metres, travelling at a speed of 543 kilometres per hour.
Flightradar24 identifies the aircraft as belonging to NATO, with a registration associated with the Italian Air Force.
However, the RQ-4D Phoenix is no ordinary military drone.
It is part of the Alliance’s joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
One of NATO’s Five Strategic Drones
NATO operates five RQ-4D Phoenix aircraft, which are managed by the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF).
Their main base is Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy, from where the Alliance conducts strategic surveillance missions in various regions.
These drones are designed to remain airborne for extended periods at high altitudes, gathering intelligence on developments on the ground and transmitting it to NATO command structures.
The RQ-4D is equipped with MP-RTIP radar technology and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), enabling it to monitor extensive areas of land.
The system also features advanced long-range data transmission links, allowing the collected intelligence to be relayed to the Alliance’s command networks.
Unlike tactical drones, which are generally used near combat zones, the Phoenix is designed for large-scale strategic surveillance, providing military commanders with a broader picture of the situation on the ground.
From the Black Sea to Northern Europe
The flight over Albania comes at a time when NATO has expanded the operational use of its RQ-4D Phoenix fleet across various parts of Europe.
On July 29, Ukrainian defence outlet Militarnyi reported that another drone of the same type, bearing registration number MM-AV-SA-0014, had carried out a reconnaissance mission over the Black Sea.
According to the report, the aircraft had taken off from Sigonella and entered the Black Sea through Bulgarian airspace before conducting surveillance operations over international waters between Bulgaria and Turkey.
The drone had previously been equipped with additional maritime surveillance capabilities, enabling it to identify and track vessels.
Meanwhile, in May 2026, NATO announced that an RQ-4D Phoenix had operated from Norway’s Ørland Air Base for the first time.
The operation marked an expansion of the Alliance’s ability to deploy its strategic surveillance aircraft beyond their permanent base in Italy, increasing operational flexibility in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.
According to Army Recognition, the deployment to Norway was part of NATO’s concept for the flexible use of aerial capabilities from different bases.
