French fighter jets were deployed to intercept Russian aircraft that were observed near NATO airspace, believed to be heavily armed. The Russian planes were detected operating close to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia over the Baltic Sea. In response, four Rafale B fighters were sent as part of an intensified Air Policing Mission.
The operations were conducted from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, where France leads NATO’s air policing efforts. Videos released by the French military show Rafale fighter jets monitoring a Su-30SM fighter and a Russian Il-20M electronic intelligence aircraft. Analysts suggest that these aircraft may have been armed with Kh-31P or Kh-31PM anti-radiation missiles.
These missiles are typically used to target radar and air defense systems. The French Rafales were reported to have utilized Thales Talios targeting pods during these operations. While primarily designed for offensive missions, these systems have extended visual identification capabilities to assess potential threats from a distance. These activities are part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, which aims to safeguard the airspace of the Baltic countries.
Furthermore, NATO jets were scrambled on Wednesday following Russian attacks in Ukraine, including renewed assaults on ports in the Odesa region near the River Danube, just a short distance from NATO territory in Romania. The Romanian Air Force deployed two F-16 aircraft from the 86th Air Base in Fetești for air policing duties, with air defense systems on standby. Additional drones moving towards Izmail, Ukraine were detected, prompting a new alert message at 5:08am.