Fighter jets and strategic bombers from the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) and the Air Forces of Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden have been involved in a new episode over the Baltic. This occurred when a squadron of Tu-22M3 bombers began a patrol over international waters of the Baltic Sea, escorted by combat aircraft. The detection of the formation triggered the activation of NATO QRA protocols, which carried out a staggered response to intercept the flight of the Russian aircraft.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation released today, December 17, the VKS conducted planned patrol flights involving the deployment of Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bombers, escorted by Sukhoi Su-30SM and Su-27 fighter jets. The patrol, conducted during the morning, lasted five hours and included a long-range deployment over neutral waters of the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Pacific Ocean, the Black Sea, and the Baltic Sea.
Throughout the aircraft’s route, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that they were accompanied by foreign aircraft, specifically fighter jets from the Air Forces of Finland, Sweden, and the Netherlands, which conducted a visual identification of the aircraft after being alerted by NATO’s Air Command.
NATO’s response involved approaching and intercepting the Russian aircraft for identification. This deployment included Finnish F/A-18s, followed by Sweden’s JAS-39 Gripens, and the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s stealth F-35As, the latter presumably deployed from Ämari Air Base in Estonia, where they have been conducting Air Policing missions since the beginning of the month.
Although neither force provided detailed statements, open-source intelligence (OSINT) allowed several details of the Russian aircraft formation to be identified. First, the Tu-22M3 bombers were observed to be equipped with Kh-22/32 anti-ship missiles, while one of the Su-30SM fighters (presumably belonging to the 14th Fighter Aviation Regiment) was armed with R-77-1 medium-range air-to-air missiles, R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles, and equipped with SAP 518-SM electronic countermeasure pods, visible on the wingtips.
As has been reported on numerous occasions, such episodes involving NATO and Russian Armed Forces are common in the Baltic, as well as in other key regions such as the North Atlantic and the Arctic. Both forces aim to test the response times of integrated air defense and radar systems, as well as their deterrence capabilities to address any potential violations of sovereign airspace.
