The French Air Force has released images of a recent interception involving a Russian Su-35 fighter jet, considered the most advanced combat aircraft currently in service with Russia, during a NATO air policing mission over the Baltic Sea.
According to the French Armed Forces General Staff, two Rafale fighters based in Šiauliai, Lithuania, were scrambled on June 2 to identify and monitor a group of six Russian aircraft. The formation included a Su-35, a Su-34 bomber, a Su-24, as well as the transport and reconnaissance aircraft Il-76, An-12, and An-30.
Videos released by the French military show one of the Rafale fighters conducting a controlled approach to visually identify the Su-35.
French authorities emphasized that the encounter was conducted professionally and ended without incident, although it serves as another reminder of the intense military air activity that continues along NATO’s eastern flank.
The interception took place as part of the Baltic Air Policing mission, a permanent NATO operation designed to monitor and protect the airspace of the Baltic states.
In recent months, NATO aircraft have carried out numerous missions to track Russian flights near alliance airspace, including formations consisting of Su-30, Su-35, and strategic bombers Tu-22M3.
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