NATO fighter jets rush to intercept Russian spy planes over Baltic Sea in latest tense air raid

NATO jets have scrambled to intercept Russian spy planes as the alliance conducts military exercises in the Baltic Sea, officials have said.

Several Russian aircraft have been intercepted in recent days by three separate NATO fighter squadrons from Germany, Italy and Spain, launched from bases in Latvia, Poland and Lithuania respectively.

Disturbing images shared by NATO Air Command showed Eurofighter Typhoon and F-18 jets flanking what appeared to be Ilyushin-IL20 spy planes and Antonov AN-12 cargo planes hovering over the Baltic Sea.

“We are demonstrating our capabilities, readiness and our steadfast commitment to collective deterrence and defense,” said Gen. James Hecker, commander of Allied Air Command.

“Allied fighter jets fly over the Baltic Sea every day,” he added.

It comes as a NATO source said last month that the alliance’s warplanes’ efforts to intercept Russian aircraft approaching allied airspace over the Baltic Sea region increased by 20% to 25% in the first quarter of 2024.

A Russian aircraft is seen from the cockpit of a NATO fighter jet on its way to intercept an Ilyushin-IL20M spy plane

A Eurofighter Typhoon of the German Luftwaffe flanks a Russian Antonov-AN12 cargo plane over the Baltic Sea

Sweden has taken part in the BALTOPS exercises for the first time after joining the security bloc – a move that some analysts said turned the Baltic Sea into a ‘NATO lake’ in a blow to the Kremlin

A statement from NATO Air Command said an increase in Russian activity in the airspace over the Baltic Sea was expected in June, with NATO ships taking part in planned exercises.

The Baltic Operations exercise, or BALTOPS, runs from June 7 to 20 and will involve more than 50 naval ships, 25 aircraft and 9,000 personnel from 20 countries participating in maritime exercises.

These exercises are an annual event, but this year would be the largest ever of their kind, following increased security concerns in the Baltic region following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It comes as Sweden joins the drills for the first time after joining the security bloc – a move that some analysts said turned the Baltic Sea into a “NATO lake” in a blow to the Kremlin.

“Year after year, BALTOPS delivers credible results in building our collective defense capability and the strength, agility and cohesion of the alliance,” Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet and Naval Striking Support Forces NATO, told reporters in a foreword. sailing conference in Klaipeda in Lithuania.

BALTOPS 2024 will bring the largest collection of amphibious and minehunters in the exercise’s history, according to a US Navy press release, with Ishee telling reporters: “If Russia’s brazen aggression in Ukraine has shown us anything, it’s that you have to be able to adapt to the environment in combat, so that’s a focus for me and both my U.S. command and NATO command.”

In Russia, the large-scale exercises are now seen as evidence of more threatening behavior by NATO.

Before the start of BALTOPS, Vladimir Kulishov, head of the FSB Border Service, claimed that NATO had expanded intelligence activities in member states bordering Russia and said the alliance was “elaborating scenarios for conducting military operations against Russia ‘.

And one of Russia’s leading Baltic experts, Nikolai Mezhevich, gave an alarming interview to the Moscow newspaper Tsargrad, in which he claimed that Western politicians were “ready to start the Third World War in the same place where the first and the second began” – referring to the possibility of a NATO attack on the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

“It may well be that the exercises are a form of cover for a real military deployment, which will then enter the phase of an attack on Kaliningrad,” he said.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is one of the most agile fighter jets in the world and is in service in nine countries

A Russian Su-27 is seen flying off the wing of an RAF aircraft

In the photo: two JAS-39 Gripen fighter planes of the Swedish Air Force in close formation. Sweden will bring state-of-the-art submarines and a fleet of highly capable Gripen fighter jets to NATO forces (File)

A Swedish flight crew prepares a JAS Gripen fighter jet for takeoff at Kallax Air Base, Sweden, March 4, 2024

Last year, NATO said allied fighter jets took off more than 300 times to intercept Russian military aircraft, with most incidents taking place over the Baltic Sea.

Since then, however, NATO has noticed a change in the mix of Russian aircraft spotted close to allied territory, the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Unlike in the past, Western pilots today rarely detect Russian fighter jets or strategic bombers approaching allied airspace, and most interceptions now involve surveillance planes or sometimes transport aircraft, the source said.

It is not clear why Russia has changed its behavior, but it is believed that Moscow needs its bombers and fighter jets in Ukraine as fighting there has increased in intensity, the source added.

NATO says Russian military aircraft have historically failed to transmit a transponder code indicating their position and altitude, failed to file a flight plan and failed to communicate with air traffic controllers.

Following Ukraine’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Western military alliance increased its presence along the eastern flank, sending more fighter jets there and setting up air defenses on the ground.

NATO has also sent additional fighter jets to Romania after repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure near the alliance’s southeastern border.

At the beginning of this year, NATO launched its largest exercise since the Cold War, involving around 90,000 troops.

The exercises are intended to practice NATO’s implementation of its regional plans – the first defense plans the alliance has drawn up in decades – detailing how the country would respond to a Russian attack.