NATO jets scrambled three times by Russian military aircraft last week
Last week, NATO fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states carried out three alert scrambles to identify and escort military aircraft of the Russian Federation in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.
On June 1, fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states intercepted one Ilyushin IL-20 and two Sukhoi SU-27 aircraft, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence said on Monday.
The Ilyushin IL-20 was flying from the mainland of the Russian Federation to Kaliningrad with its onboard transponder off, according to a pre-filed plan, maintained radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
The two Sukhoi SU-27 were flying from Kaliningrad to meet the Ilyushin IL-20 and returned to Kaliningrad escorting it. The Sukhoi SU-27s had their onboard transponders off, no flight plans, and did not maintain radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
On June 2, NATO air policing fighter aircraft intercepted one Ilyushin IL-20 flying from and to Kaliningrad with its onboard transponder off, without maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre, without the flight plan.
On June 4, NATO fighter aircraft intercepted one Ilyushin IL-20 and two Sukhoi SU-27s. The Ilyushin IL-20 was flying from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia with its onboard transponder off, maintaining radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre but without the flight plan.
The Sukhoi SU-27s were flying from Kaliningrad and to Kaliningrad with their onboard transponders switched off, without the flight plans, and without keeping radio communication.
NATO Air Policing in the Baltics is based at Ämari in Estonia and Šiauliai in Lithuania.
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Editor: Helen Wright