Mystery surrounds a ‘highly unusual’ operation carried out by a British spy plane over Spanish waters.
The twin-engine surveillance aircraft spent several days circling the Alboran Sea in what aviation analysts described as a tightly focused intelligence-gathering operation.
Between December 1 and 3, the Diamond DA62 MPP, a specialised electronic-intelligence platform equipped with advanced sensors, flew repeated missions out of Malaga.
According to flight-tracking data, the plane was tracing near-identical patterns over the same patch of open water.
The aircraft flew at very low altitudes, performing tight orbits, rectangular sweeps and intermittently switching off its transponder.
In late October, a Beech King Air 2-WKTN, also traced to British military operations, flew almost the same geometry over the same area.
Experts speaking to respected regional newspaper Europa Sur said the repetition strongly suggests a multi-phase intelligence operation, likely involving data collection in October and a more detailed confirmation mission in December.
The first sortie on December 1 saw the DA62 spend two hours flying circles over a fixed point in the Alboran Sea at 380 to 440 metres altitude and at speeds suited to high-resolution imaging and signal interception.
A second flight that afternoon climbed to around 860 metres, consistent with re-verification of the information obtained earlier.
On December 2, the aircraft returned for two more missions, again repeating the same narrow orbit and altitude profile.
The most intense day came on December 3, with a five-hour operation in which the aircraft executed a large rectangular search pattern while shifting altitude between 370 and 1,768 metres, in a method typically used for multi-layer intelligence capture, allowing sensors to map an object or site from different perspectives.
The missions took place in one of Europe’s most strategically sensitive corridors.
The waters around the Strait of Gibraltar are a global chokepoint for energy supplies, submarine communications cables and military shipping.
NATO and EU intelligence agencies have previously warned of increased activity by foreign powers around submarine infrastructure in this area.
Aviation analysts note that the British flights are consistent with monitoring undersea cables, suspicious vessels or unidentified maritime installations.
Neither the Spanish Ministry of Defence, the Civil Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), nor UK or Gibraltarian authorities have provided explanations. The lack of transparency has raised questions about whether the missions were conducted with Spain’s knowledge or independently.
Security specialists consulted by regional newspaper Europa Sur said the patterns observed suggest a coordinated Western intelligence effort, though the exact target remains unknown.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
