German Air Force scrambles fighter jets to intercept Russian reconnaissance plane near the Baltic Sea
Germany scrambles its fighter jets to intercept a Russian reconnaissance plane spotted over the Baltic Sea off its coast.
According to the German Air Force, the patrol was lifted from the Laage air base in northeastern Germany after a Russian military aircraft was spotted in international airspace near Rügen, the air force said in a statement.
Unsere QRA vom #TLG71 is zu einem A-Scramble aus Laage aufgestiegen und hat vor Rügen im internationalen Luftraum eine 🇷🇺 Militärmaschine identifiziert, kurzzeitig begleitet, vor diese wieder nach Osten abgedreht ist. Das Militärflugzeug IL -20M COOT-A flog ohne… pic.twitter.com/bHQWjaXjTb
– Team Luftwaffe (@Team_Luftwaffe) January 30, 2024
A German fighter jet escorted the Russian plane for a short time before it turned east, the ministry added.
The Il-20M military aircraft was flying without a transponder signal,” the German Air Force said.
What preceded it
Earlier it was reported that in 2023, NATO air forces in Europe took to the air more than 300 times to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching NATO airspace, with most of the interceptions taking place over the Baltic Sea.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO significantly strengthened its air defense on the eastern flank, including by increasing the number of fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and ground-based air defense assets.
Following repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure located very close to NATO territory, Allies deployed additional fighter jets to Romania.
In October, following the breach of an undersea pipeline in the Baltic Sea, NATO sent additional forces and equipment to the region.
