NATO fighter jets stationed in the Baltic states under the Alliance’s Air Policing mission were scrambled four times last week to identify and escort Russian aircraft flying in breach of aviation rules, Lithuania’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
On November 10, NATO jets were dispatched to identify SU-24 and SU-33 fighters travelling through international airspace from mainland Russia towards the Kaliningrad region. According to officials, the aircraft were flying with their transponders switched off, had not filed flight plans and were not in radio contact with regional air traffic controllers.
On the following two days, NATO air-policing aircraft were launched to investigate unidentified objects detected in Lithuanian airspace, though they were never found.
On November 14, Alliance jets again took off to intercept SU-24MR and SU-33 aircraft, which were similarly flying without flight plans and failing to maintain radio communication, although this time with their radar transponders switched on.
NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic region operates out of bases in Lithuania and Estonia.
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