US aircraft resumes flights over Persian Gulf after emergency signal

The US Boeing E-3B Sentry long-range radar surveillance aircraft, which had previously issued an emergency signal, has resumed flights in the Persian Gulf region, according to the sources in Middle Eastern air traffic control services, Report informs via TASS.

It was reported that the aircraft was flying at an altitude of about 8.5 km on a circular trajectory. It was the same plane that signaled an emergency on July 23 during a flight, after which it landed safely at a nearby military base and was not observed in the airspace for several days.

The reasons for the incident have not been disclosed.

The source added that the Boeing E-3B Sentry, introduced into US Air Force service in 1980, has been in operation for 46 years. The plane is capable of detecting aerial targets at distances of up to 400 km.

Additionally, a US Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker refueling aircraft has been observed flying in circular patterns over the neutral waters of the Persian Gulf, near the boundary of Iranian-controlled airspace, the sources said.