On Saturday, August 3, Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) Eurofighter jets intercepted two MiG-29s of the Russian Armed Forces over the Baltic Sea, having departed from the Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania. This was an Alpha Scramble operation, referring to rapid deployments to intercept aircraft with incorrect or invalid flight plans and those not maintaining communication with air traffic control towers, as part of NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic.
In this instance, two Eurofighter jets were deployed, marking the first operation of this kind for the Italian aircraft in over four months since the beginning of their mission. It is worth noting that the Italian Air Force is currently operating alongside Spain (with their EF-18 jets) and Portugal (with F-16s), which have already participated in various activities such as escorting allied bombers and training exercises.
In this regard, the official AIRCOM statement reads: “In addition to demonstrating the Alliance’s unique ability to share and pool existing air capabilities, the mission also aims to show NATO’s collective determination to maintain a strong, cohesive, and defensive posture to deter potential threats or unsafe situations near its airspace.”
It is also pertinent to mention that today marks the end of the Spanish command of the mentioned mission, with the Italian delegation taking over leadership for the next eight months; the Spanish command began on April 1. A ceremony was held for this occasion at the Šiauliai airbase’s helicopter hangar, attended by Lithuania’s Deputy Minister of National Defence (Kamilè Gogelienè), the Italian Ambassador to the country (Emanuele De Maigret), and the Spanish Ambassador (Ramón Aguilar Abad), among other distinguished guests.
Image credits: Aeronautica Militare
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