NATO fighter jets embarked ten times on Monday, March 29, 2021, to accompany Russian bombers and fighter jets during an unusual peak in flights over the North Atlantic, North Sea, Black Sea and Baltic Sea. Altogether, NATO aircraft intercepted different groups of Russian military aircraft near Alliance airspace in less than six hours.
“The interception of several groups of Russian aircraft demonstrates the readiness and ability of NATO forces to protect Allied skies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year,” said Brigadier General Andrew Hansen, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Allied Air Command, Ramstein, .
In the Far North, Norwegian F-16s scrambled after radars spotted two groups of Russian military aircraft flying close to the coast of Norway. Norwegian jets intercepted two Tu-95 Bear bombers, which continued to fly south over the North Sea, prompting the UK and Belgium to scramble Typhoon and F-16 fighters respectively. Later in the day, Norwegian F-16s intercepted two Tu-160 Blackjack bombers in international waters.
NATO radars also detected three Russian military aircraft close to Allied airspace over the Black Sea. Turkish, Romanian and Bulgarian fighter jets took to the skies to track the Russian planes until they left the area. Separately, the Italian fighters between
picked up a Russian Il 38 maritime patrol aircraft that was escorted by fighter jets over the Baltic Sea, flying in and out of Kaliningrad.
NATO, N“The men and women at NATO's two Combined Air Operations Centers in Uedem, , and Torrejón, Spain, responded quickly to unidentified aircraft near Alliance borders launching fighter jets from Norway, UK, Belgium, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey to investigate and protect Allied airspace”, said Brigadier Hansen, adding that NATO's Air Policing mission is a “truly collective effort”.
Russian military aircraft often do not transmit a transponder code indicating their position and altitude, do not file a flight plan or communicate with air traffic controllers, posing a potential risk to civilian aircraft. The Russian aircraft intercepted on Monday never entered Alliance airspace and the intercepts were carried out in a safe and routine manner.
Safeguarding the integrity of Alliance ' airspace is a peacetime task that contributes to NATO's collective defense and is the overall responsibility of the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, General Tod Wolters.
Source: NATO/NATO
