Once again, in the Baltic region, German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Eurofighter jets were deployed to intercept an intelligence signals aircraft Il-20M from the Russian Aerospace Forces. The incident, reported by the force through its social media channels, took place on August 10.
As has been happening in recent weeks and months, the German Air Force detachment deployed in the Baltic states for Air Policing Missions has seen high levels of activity. This is partly due to the presence of aircraft from the Russian Aerospace Forces and Navy operating in the region, as they transit between the Kaliningrad enclave and Saint Petersburg, as well as other locations in the North Sea.
The deployment of fighter jets is prompted by the fact that, on several occasions, Russian aircraft including fighters, transport planes, and, as in this latest incident, signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft, conduct their flights without filing a flight plan and with their transponders turned off. This protocol is also activated when such an aircraft approaches the sovereign airspace of any of the NATO countries, which now include all of Northern Europe and the Baltic region following the accession of Sweden and Finland.
In this new episode, Sweden’s surveillance and detection system reported the presence of an aircraft flying without a flight plan in the region, triggering the activation of protocols. According to reports, the deployed Eurofighters intercepted an Ilyushin Il-20M aircraft (NATO designation: “Coot-A”), a version derived from the Il-18 used by the Russian Aerospace Forces for signals intelligence (SIGINT) missions.
Although no further details were provided, it is likely that this type of aircraft is deployed by the Russian Aerospace Forces to gather intelligence, measure, and record response times and the approach paths of NATO detection and interception systems in the Baltic. This practice is also carried out by NATO patrol and surveillance aircraft, which, “returning the favor,” are intercepted by Russian fighters as they approach state borders. In most cases, these maneuvers are conducted in accordance with international norms, although in various incidents, dangerous approaches have been recorded, including the firing of flares at some of the aircraft.
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