French Rafale fighter jets deployed in Lithuania carried out four Baltic Air Policing interceptions and identified six Russian aircraft in just one week.
According to Defence Blog, the information came from the French Armed Forces General Staff. According to a statement, the sorties were conducted as part of France’s current rotation at Šiauliai Air Base, where French crews are supporting NATO’s permanent air defense mission over Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
In a video released by the French military, the Rafale jets can be seen escorting a Russian electronic intelligence aircraft Ilyushin Il-20M and a Su-30SM fighter operating near allied airspace.
The interceptions were carried out in coordination with other NATO forces assigned to the mission. French officials said the flights are part of the alliance’s ongoing effort to protect Europe’s eastern flank and maintain quick reaction alert coverage over the Baltic Sea region.
France took over the current Baltic Air Policing rotation at the end of March, deploying four Rafale jets and around 100 personnel to Lithuania. They remain on 24-hour alert, ready to scramble whenever unidentified or military aircraft approach the region.
NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission has been in place since 2004, when Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia joined the alliance without their own dedicated fighter fleets. Since then, allied nations have rotated aircraft detachments through the region to provide continuous air defense coverage.
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