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On August 15, NATO Allies gathered over the Baltic Sea to practice their flying and combat skills. Four Spanish F-18s from the Air Policing team in Romania joined Italian Eurofighters, Swedish Gripens, and Finnish F-18s for joint training in shared airspace.
The Italian Eurofighters, based in Lithuania for a four-month NATO mission, also took part. Adding to the teamwork, a Spanish Army missile team joined in, helping NATO Allies work together and strengthen security on the eastern side of the Alliance. The Spanish F-18s’ journey from Romania to the Baltics was impressive, needing several refueling sessions by a Dutch Airbus A330 tanker plane. The mission was skillfully coordinated by the Control and Reporting Center [CRC] in Lielvarde, Latvia, with help from Latvian Air Force controllers.
This exercise showed NATO’s strong commitment to defending its eastern side. It also demonstrated that NATO is ready and capable of maintaining air superiority. The joint air policing missions gave pilots valuable training in different airspaces, helping them improve their skills with the Allied Air Forces. The presence of Allied forces on NATO’s Eastern Flank is vital for deterrence and defense, protecting Allied airspace effectively.
A close encounter
It’s common for NATO air policing missions over the Baltic region to experience tense moments with potential adversaries. Recently, rare footage from a Russian nuclear-capable bomber’s cockpit showed one such incident. The video shared on the Russian Telegram channel “warhistoryalconafter,” showed a German Eurofighter Typhoon approaching a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber over the Baltic Sea.
In a strategic move, a Russian Su-30SM escort positioned itself between a NATO jet and a Russian aircraft, maintaining a defensive stance. This highlights the tense environment over the Baltic Sea, where Russian and NATO aircraft often fly close to each other to avoid border violations.
The Russian hotspot
Kaliningrad, home to Russia’s Baltic Fleet, is a hotspot for these aerial encounters. To strengthen its presence, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported sending two Tu-22M3 bombers, along with Su-30 and Su-27 fighter jets, to patrol the international airspace over the Baltic.
These training missions, lasting up to five hours, often include encounters with foreign fighter aircraft. As noted by the ministry, “At certain points of the route, the long-range bombers were escorted by foreign fighter aircraft,” highlighting the ongoing surveillance by NATO forces.
The footage also showed another small aircraft in the distance, likely another jet from Germany’s Luftwaffe. This matched the Russian Defense Ministry’s video release. On the same day, the German air force released photos showing their Eurofighter Typhoon watching over the Russian air group. The Luftwaffe said the Russian aircraft were armed. Germany announced that the air policing mission was handed over to Sweden’s quick reaction alert squadron. Sweden, NATO’s newest member, uses the JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft.
The Russian training missions
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that its aerospace forces sent two Tu-95MS strategic cruise missile carriers with MiG-31 escorts to the Barents and Norwegian seas on Wednesday. This training mission lasted four hours. The ministry mentioned that the Russian air group encountered foreign fighter jets. Their video showed an F/A-18 Hornet, which is used by the Finnish Air Force. These moves show Moscow’s ongoing military activities during the war in Ukraine.
Recently, Russia sent MiG-29 and MiG-31 jets to intercept two U.S. Air Force B-52H bombers flying from the United States to Romania over the Barents Sea. Following this, U.S. and Canadian jets intercepted a group of Russian and Chinese bombers in the Alaska air defense zone. U.S. officials said it was the first joint mission between Moscow and Beijing’s forces. Late last month, Japan, a U.S. ally, also scrambled jets after Russia sent bombers and fighter jets over its Far Eastern regions, including the Sea of Japan.
BULGARIAN MILITARY