Spanish Air Force, performing a NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, successfully intercepted Russian combat aircraft near the Alliance's borders. The increased Russian aviation activity in the region forced the allies to extend the presence of the Spanish contingent in Lithuania for a second rotation in a row. This was reported by Defence Blog, writes UNN.
Details
EF-18M fighters from the 15th Air Wing of the Spanish Air Force, based in Šiauliai, were scrambled to identify a group of aircraft in international airspace. Spanish pilots detected multi-role Su-30SM fighters belonging to the Russian Navy's naval aviation. The Russian aircraft were flying without provided flight plans and with transponders turned off, which posed a threat to civil aviation safety.
F-18M aircraft of the 15th Air Wing, deployed in Lithuania as part of the Vilkas detachment, intercepted Russian Air Force fighters flying in international waters near allied airspace. Spanish fighters identified the aircraft and escorted them until they entered their own airspace
Armament and operational readiness of the Russian Federation
Experts paid particular attention to the fact that the intercepted Su-30SM (tail number RF-81885 "81 Blue") was fully armed with air-to-air missiles and cluster munitions. The presence of combat load during routine flights near NATO borders indicates a high degree of operational readiness of Russian aviation to perform offensive tasks in the Baltic region.
According to the Spanish Ministry of Defense, the extended presence of their fighters in Lithuania is a direct response to the increasingly aggressive behavior of Russian pilots near Poland and the Baltic states. The NATO mission remains a key tool for protecting states that lack their own air defense and interception capabilities.
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