10 April 2024 , 13:28
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NATO Eurofighters scrambled to intercept a Russian surveillance plane that was clocked flying over the Baltic Sea.
A pair of German Eurofighter Typhoons were spotted on the tail of a Ilyushin Il-20 electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) flying over the Baltic Sea near the Swedish island of Gotland. The Russian craft, which boasts a sophisticated radar system for intel gathering, failed to answer to identification requests sparking the scramble, according to NATO's Allied Air Command (AIRCOM).
Swedish forces spotted the Il-20 aircraft, causing the Luftwaffe's Tactical Air Wing 71, Richthofen, to fly out of an air base close to the German town of Laage towards the Swedish island. The Alpha Scramble, which sees fighter pilots get dressed and airborne within 15 minutes, occurred as the alliance looks to deter Moscow's aggression towards eastern Europe.
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NATO said the Russian plane failed to respond to identity requests"A deployment of our alert squadron of the Tactical Air Force Wing 71 'Richthofen' out of Laage. Together with our [Swedish] partners we checked a [Russian] reconnaissance aircraft at Gotland," read the Luftwaffe's translated X post from Tuesday.
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In a more recent announcement from AIRCOM, Italian jets stationed near Malbrok, Poland, were also said to be deployed. NATO shared unnerving images of the fighter jets flanking the Russian plane.
"[Italian] Eurofighters currently Air Policing out of Malbrok [Poland], had their first scramble 2 days ago & their second Alpha scramble yesterday," AIRCOM posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday afternoon. "The jets intercepted a [Russian] IL20 that was flying over the Baltic Sea. It was not answering to the requests of identification."
Putin has pushed Europe into a 'pre-war' era, Polish president says (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Russia's air force often disregards proper protocol as operatives regularly fly aircraft enter into flight information regions (FIR) of NATO nations. The breach of rules wasn't classified as unauthorized infringement of a country's airspace - a direct violation of its sovereignty. in 2023 alone, NATO intercepted Russian military aircraft a whopping 300 times, it said in a statement.
Gotland, dubbed the "giant aircraft carrier", sits 120 miles from NATO's Baltic triad of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and 230 miles north of the Russian city of Kaliningrad, sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. Despite it being demilitarized in 2005, its prime positioning has led to Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson discussing the prospect of re-arming Gotland last month.
He said it was "one obvious thing to be discussed with our new NATO allies" as military readiness mounts in the Baltic.
AIRCOM posted the update to X along with a snap of a Eurofighter (Nato Air Command/Twitter)Late last month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Europe is entering its "pre-war era" after NATO jets scrambled after Russia launched an aerial attack near Ukraine's border with Poland. "I don't want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past," he said "It's real and it started over two years ago," Tusk said.
It reflects the deep-seated anxieties in Europe due to Russia's belligerent actions despite Putin's repeated denials of any intentions to attack NATO.
The Mirror has reached out to AIRCOM for more details on the latest scramble.