Since joining NATO, the Armed Forces of Finland and Sweden have taken accelerated steps to integrate rapidly into the collective defense structure of the Atlantic Alliance. This is evidenced by the participation of their Air Forces in various scenarios, such as Finnish F/A-18 Hornets in Romania conducting Air Policing Missions. However, one of the most recent incidents occurred closer to their borders, when Swedish and Finnish Gripens intercepted two Su-30 fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS).
The incident on July 16 took place when the Combined Air Operations Center in Uedem, Germany, detected two Russian aircraft flying in international waters without a coordinated flight plan with civilian air traffic control authorities.
This detection triggered NATO’s Quick Reaction Alert protocol, which involved the Air Forces of its newest members, Sweden and Finland. They deployed F/A-18 Hornets and Gripens to intercept the aircraft. Upon arrival at the scene, they confirmed the presence of a pair of Sukhoi Su-30s.
This latest episode adds to other recent incidents between NATO forces and the Russian Armed Forces, involving both combat aircraft and submarines. Examples include interceptions of Russian Navy MiG-29KRs and Su-30SM2s by German Air Force Eurofighters, and the detection of a Kilo II-class attack submarine by a Portuguese Air Force P-3C Orion.
The reality is that since Finland and Sweden joined NATO, the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in the Baltic region has become surrounded by NATO member countries. A similar situation exists around St. Petersburg, leaving Murmansk as one of the few “clean” outlets to the sea for the Russian Northern Fleet.
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