A Spanish EF-18A Hornet, while escorting Russian Su-30SM fighters over the Baltic Sea, performed a dangerous maneuver, “cutting” one side of the Russian formation. The video was released by Russian aviation pilots.
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During a routine flight, a pair of Russian Su-30SMs encountered an EF-18A fighter, which flew to escort them. During the flight, the Hornet performed a risky maneuver, flying close to the Russian aircraft and breaking their formation.
The likely goal of such “games” was to interfere with the Russian pilots, who often fly near the airspace of neighboring countries. By performing such maneuvers, the EF-18A pilot runs serious risks of high-speed collision. Additionally, the turbulence generated by the Spanish fighter can destabilize the aircraft flying closely behind.
The video authors did not provide additional details about the situation. However, considering the rare appearance of an EF-18A, it is likely that the incident occurred near Finnish territorial waters.
At the same time, the Russian Su-30SM fighters likely belong to the Russian Navy’s aviation. Last month, the Finnish Ministry of Defense reported that a Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft violated the country’s airspace off the coast of the Gulf of Finland, near the city of Loviisa. The plane remained in Finnish airspace for about two minutes, flying 2.5 kilometers into Finnish territory.
“We take this suspected territorial violation seriously, so we have launched an investigation,” said Defense Minister Antti Hakkänen at the time.
On June 14, a Russian Su-24M bomber violated Swedish airspace east of the southern tip of Gotland Island. This was the first such incident since Sweden joined NATO.
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