Twitter @NATO_AIRCOM
On July 15, fighters from Sweden and Finland were mobilized to escort two Russian fighters that were flying over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. The action was reported by the official page of NATO’s Air Command.
According to NATO’s Air Command, the escort was initiated after NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany, detected the Russian fighters flying from Kaliningrad towards Russian mainland. Attempts to contact the Russian aircraft by Finland and Sweden’s air operations centers were unsuccessful, leading to the decision to send quick reaction patrols to escort and identify the Russian aircraft.
+ Video: EF-18A Hornet Performs Dangerous Maneuver and Drives Away Russian Su-30SM
The Russian fighters did not maintain contact with civilian air traffic controllers and flew with their transponders turned off, which is a violation of international aviation regulations. This behavior can pose a significant threat to civil aviation due to the lack of coordination and communication.
The escort of Russian aircraft by Swedish and Finnish fighters underscores the close cooperation between these countries and NATO’s Air Command, demonstrating a joint effort to maintain air safety in the region.
It is important to note that despite the incident, the escort was conducted routinely without further complications. However, a previous situation is highlighted where an EF-18A Hornet performed a dangerous maneuver while escorting Russian Su-30SM fighters near Finnish territorial waters, “cutting” one side of the Russian formation.
Ongoing cooperation between NATO’s air forces and the Nordic countries is crucial to ensuring security and stability in the Baltic Sea region, especially in light of actions that may threaten civil aviation.
Photo: Twitter @NATO_AIRCOM. Source: NATO’s Air Command. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
