NATO Baltic Air Policing mission is quite busy these days….
According to the Latvian military, on Oct. 28, the German Air Force Eurofighter jets on QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) at Amari, Estonia, to provide NATO Baltic Air Policing were scrambled to intercept seven Russian Air Force planes flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.
The German interceptors identified the Russian planes as a large package, made of attack planes and escort, which included 2x MiG-31 Foxhound, 2x Su-34 Fullback, 1x Su-27 Flanker and 2x Su-24 Fencer jets.
Regardless to whether the Russian aircraft were involved in one of the frequent training missions in the Baltics or were commuting to/from the Russian airfield in Kaliningrad oblast, the package on Oct 28 represents one of the largest “formations” intercepted by NATO fighter planes during the last couple of years.
Usually, close encounters involve Russian, Swedish or U.S. spyplanes intercepted before (or after) violating sovereign airspaces. Sometimes, scrambles are required to greet Moscow’s Tu-22 or Tu-95 bombers on long-range training patrols or strike packages involved in (alleged) simulated air strikes on one of North Europe’s states (usually, Sweden).
Anyway, Russian Air Force missions in the Baltic area have surged, to such an extent NATO presence has quadrupled in the last year: from one nation providing four aircraft in QRA at one base in Lithuania (Šiauliai), to four nations (currently Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal and Canada) at two airbases (the second being Amari, in Estonia).
Image credit: Eurofighter – Geoffrey Lee, Planefocus Ltd
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Pierre Sprey’s argument was thoroughly debunked. People need to quit quoting that, or at least try to understand it..
You keep posting the exact same idiocy. Either shut the fuck up, we all heard you, or answer the questions people are asking?
Name just FIVE of these military bases that have recently sprung up to surround Russia. And there is no missile defense shield, you ingrate oxygen thief.
What does “intercepted” if they flew in the international space? For all it is international, except for Russia? That’s kind of one word, and from Russia again infringer did. Why?
Iskander is so called cemi-ballistic missile. It is the same maneuverable as anti-aircraft missile. Intercept such a maneuverable supersonic target is impossible with current technology. LOL.
You russians seem to be really cocky lately- your military isn’t squat compared to the west’s military, your economy is dying so that it can’t support a war, and your attitude of seizing territory and under the corrupt patronage rule of a scumbag like Putin will only make Russia hated- which won’t end well for Russia.
Yes, Russian and Western military capabilities are incomparable. Western military has a goal of global aggression capabilities. Russian military has a goal of reliable security for the territory and deadly nuclear answer to any aggressor. So it is correct to compare capabilities in strategic and tactical nuke forces, air force and air defence, and ground forces. Concerning economy your assumption is not true. Yes, Russian economy is not powerful enough to support aggression to other countries but it definitely can support a war against aggressor, especially after aggressor’s infrastructure and industrial objects will be destroyed by some number of nuke and conventional warheads.
You need to learn your history better than that! The Afghan government at the time was transparently a soviet puppet regime, and extremely unpopular with the afghan people, who rebelled against an evil dictator.