Russia

Russian Tu-22M3 Bombers Carrying Long-Range Supersonic Missile Intercepted Again Over the Baltic

Published on: April 22, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Parth Satam Parth Satam
Tu-22M3 Kh-22N Baltic
The Russian Tu-22 supersonic bomber with the Kh-22/Kh-32 air-launched cruise missile intercepted over the Baltic Sea on Apr. 20, 2026. (Image credit: Flygvapnet)

Swedish, Romanian and French fighters intercepted Russian Tu-22M3 ‘Backfire’ strategic bombers, carrying Kh-22N/Kh-32 supersonic cruise missiles, on two consecutive days over the Baltic Sea.

For the third time in just over two years, Tupolev Tu-22M3 ‘Backfire’ strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces (RuAF) carrying Kh-32/Kh-22N supersonic cruise missiles were intercepted over the Baltic Sea in two separate episodes. The bombers were intercepted by Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) jets on Apr. 20, 2026, and Romanian and French fighters – part of the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission at Lithuania’s Šiauliai Air Base – on Apr. 21.

As happened in the previous instances, the weapons appear to be inert variants used for training, as assessed by military aviation analyst Guy Plopsky based on the markings visible in the images. Training variants of Russian weapons are often painted with black bands around the warhead section.

Previously, on Dec. 17, 2024, Finnish, Swedish and Dutch fighters were scrambled to monitor and escort Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea. Among their targets was a Tu-23M ‘Backfire’ carrying a single Kh-22 or Kh-32 (NATO designation AS-4 Kitchen) under its wings.

A year later, on Nov. 27, 2025, Flygvapnet Saab JAS39 Gripens again intercepted a Tu-22 carrying a Kh-22/32 under the port (left-side) wing. However, in the latest two intercepts, images released by the NATO Air Command and the Flygvapnet show the Tu-22 is carrying a single Kh-22/32 on the centerline’s semi-recessed weapons station.

The Russian Ministry of Defense, which often publicizes its Baltic and Sea of Japan overflights, has released a video about the “scheduled flight over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.” The weapon is clearly visible as the bomber takes off.

NATO and Swedish intercepts of Tu-22s

The Flygvapnet post published on Apr. 20, 2026, showed a Su-30SM2 of the RuAF and a Tu-22M3, with the Kh-22/32 missile visible on the centerline. The service said it “intercepted two Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bombers,” but only one can be seen in the images.

“The bombers were escorted by two Russian fighter jets, and the interception was coordinated with NATO allies,” the post added. The Su-30SM2 appears to be carrying at least one R-73/R-74 short-range AAM on the starboard wing.

The information released by the NATO Air Command on Apr. 21 covered the intercepts conducted by Romanian F-16 and French Rafale fighters, part of the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission in Lithuania, over the previous week. Romanian F-16s conducted their first intercept when they encountered an Ilyushin Il-20 Coot-A Signals/Electronic Intelligence (SIGINT/ELINT) aircraft.

The Tu-22M3 intercepted on Apr. 21, 2026. (Image Credit: NATO Air Command)

The other set of photos, beside the Il-20, showed a Su-35S and a Tu-22M3 – the latter again carrying the Kh-22/32 on the centerline, with a black-colored nose cone. The NATO post said: “Yesterday [Apr. 20], French Rafale fighters and Romanian F-16s intercepted multiple Russian reconnaissance, bomber and fighter aircraft. NATO Air Policing in the Baltic region under Eastern Sentry ensures continuous vigilance, deterrence, and protection of NATO airspace.”  

Information and visuals released by the French Joint Staff on Apr. 21 shed more light on these interceptions, saying there were two intercepts that took place on the same day. The first one involved the Il-20, with the Rafales relieving a Romanian F-16 that was escorting a flight of Tu-22s, a Su-30 and Su-35.

The second interception comprised another pair of Su-30 and Su-35. The French Joint Staff also released footage from the TALIOS targeting pod of the Rafale capturing the Tu-22 and the Su-35S.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defense similarly released images of the intercept by its F-16s. The Tu-22M3 and the missile can be clearly seen in the high-resolution images.

The missiles seen on both the intercepts have a black-colored nose cone. With regards to the Tu-22 intercepted by Sweden, nuclear weapons and policy expert Hans Kristensen identified it as a “nuclear-capable” Kh-32, although Russian military aviation analyst Guy Plopsky disagreed, identifying it is a Kh-22N anti-ship missile.

The Tu-22M3 intercepted by Romanian F-16s, with the missile clearly visible under the fuselage. (Image Credit: Romanian Ministry of National DefenseThe)

It is unclear whether the Apr. 20 and Apr. 21 intercepts involved the same Tu-22. The image released by NATO shows a Bort number 33 painted on the fuselage, while the Bort number on the Swedish image appears to be different, although it cannot be identified clearly owing to the image quality.

As has always been with NATO information on interceptions of Russian aircraft, the alliance did not claim any violation of sovereign territory, implying the Russian aircraft stayed in international airspace.

Kh-22/32 air-launched cruise missile

The Kh-22 missile was developed in the early 1960s as a fast-flying missile, touching speeds of a little over 4,000 km/hour, to bypass ordinary air defenses and destroy large fixed or slow-moving targets like ships (such as aircraft carriers), military bases, power plants, and bridges.

The Kh-32, introduced in 2016, looks strikingly similar to the Kh-22, with very few discernible differences. The upgraded weapon was primarily designed to be carried by the Tu-22M3 bomber.

According to unofficial Russia-aligned Telegram channels, the Kh-32 features a smaller warhead, an improved rocket motor, and a new radar imaging seeker for terminal stage guidance that operates on multiple frequencies, making it less susceptible to radar/radio-frequency jamming.

Other recent intercept of Russian aircraft over the Baltics

On Apr. 8, NATO Air Command reported the Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa – FAP), deployed to Estonia’s Ämari Air Base for the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission, intercepted a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 tanker on Apr. 7. The FAP sent up its F-16s in an Alpha-scramble (as opposed to the Tango-scramble for training) to intercept the Il-76 “flying close to NATO airspace,” in the service’s first intercept “since taking over [at] Ämari.” 

The same day, the alliance reported an Il-20 Coot-A being intercepted by two French Air and Space Force (FASF) Rafale Bs deployed to Šiauliai in Lithuania. The French joint command also released additional images of the Il-20, one of them being an infrared capture possibly from the Rafale’s TALIOS targeting pod.

A week later, on Apr. 15, the French joint command posted a short 19-second promotional feature of the FASF’s BAP detachment at Šiauliai, showing four interceptions of six Russian aircraft by the Rafales from the previous week. Beside the Il-20 being captured by the TALIOS, the clip also showed an infrared view of a Sukhoi jet, either an Su-30 or Su-35, recorded from the rear. 

TAGGED:
Share This Article
By Parth Satam
Follow:
Parth Satam's career spans a decade and a half between two dailies and two defense publications. He believes war, as a human activity, has causes and results that go far beyond which missile and jet flies the fastest. He therefore loves analyzing military affairs at their intersection with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. The body of his work spans the entire breadth from defense aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asian, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and Space.
Previous Article Next Generation Jammer Australia Raytheon Confirms Delivery of Next Generation Jammer Pods for Australian EA-18G Growlers
Leave a comment

Stay Connected

Latest News

Work With Us