On August 13, Lockheed Martin F-35A fighters from the Italian Air Force were scrambled for the first time in the current rotation at Ämari Air Base in Estonia to intercept Russian military aircraft.
The Italians recently took over the mission from the Romanian Air Force, joining the scheme to protect the airspace of the Baltic states as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing operation, conducted since 2004.
According to NATO’s Air Command, which released images of the operation, the Italian F-35s approached a Russian Su-27 fighter — which sources say was actually a Su-33 — and a Su-24 front-line bomber.
Surveillance and quick reaction mission
The Baltic Air Policing mission aims to protect the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, ensuring a rapid response to any unidentified incursions. In practice, this means NATO fighters take off to intercept Russian aircraft flying to and from the Russian mainland without filing a flight plan and with their transponders turned off.
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According to NATO, these readiness takeoffs (“scrambles”) are routine procedures but essential to ensure the security and integrity of allied airspace.
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Source and images: Instagram @ministerodifesa_official. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
