NATO sends fighter jets into action again

Once again, Russian aircraft have caused NATO fighter jets to fly over the Baltic Sea. This time, the Swedish and Finnish air forces were involved.

Helsinki – Another alert over the Baltic Sea: NATO fighter jets patrolling the skies over the alliance’s eastern flank can look back on a busy 14 days. In addition to the deployment of German army Eurofighters and an F-18 fighter jet, which both had encounters with Russian aircraft last week, there was another incident over the Baltic Sea this week.

Another alert launch of NATO fighter jets over the Baltic Sea: incident involving Russian aircraft

The newest NATO members, Finland and Sweden, launched their fighter jets on Monday (July 15) to intercept more Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea. This is the latest air encounter between the allied forces and the air force of Wladimir Putin, gave the NATOAir Command announced on Tuesday.

According to the report, the air operations center in Germany had discovered two Russian Su-30 fighter jets flying over international waters in the Baltic Sea the day before.

NATO members launch fighter jets: Finnish and Swedish air force intercepts Russian planes

Both Finland and Sweden sent their own fighter jets, F/A-18 and JAS-39 respectively, to intercept the Su-30. NATO provided photos showing that the Russian fighter jets did not appear to have any weapons on board.

When radar equipment detects suspicious aircraft in European airspace, NATO says it will launch fighter jets as “Quick Reaction Alert Interceptors” to intercept the aircraft. The mission also involves visually identifying the aircraft and, if necessary, inducing the target to land or leave NATO airspace.

NATO fighter jets are frequently deployed over the Baltic Sea: interception of Russian aircraft is common

Russian military aircraft frequently fly between the Kaliningrad region and mainland Russia. Interceptions of Russian aircraft in the region by NATO fighter jets are common.

The Su-30s were flying in the exclave at the time of the incident. According to NATO, they had not submitted a flight plan in advance and had no radio contact with air traffic control. They are also said to have violated international aviation regulations by not using transponder signals.

Putin’s military very active outside of the Ukraine war: Russia’s fighter jets and a nuclear submarine cause a stir

The Russian military has also been active outside of the battlefield in the Ukraine war in the past. In May, a group of four Russian military aircraft flew in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, a buffer zone outside of sovereign US airspace. This led to an F-16 fighter jet being deployed for the interception mission.

In addition, a Russian flotilla, which included a nuclear-powered submarine, caused a stir. This small group paid a much-publicized visit to Cuba last month. The ships crossed the Atlantic Ocean under strict surveillance by the USA and Canada. (mast)