NATO F-35s intercepted Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea last week as tensions between the West and Moscow reached a boiling point.
The Dutch planes, based in Estonia, were scrambled twice to meet Russian planes. The Dutch MoD said: “The quick reaction alert was activated twice.
“In the first flight, two aircraft were identified: a transport aircraft of the type AN-73/74 COALER and a SU-24MR Fencer E. This is a reconnaissance aircraft that collects electronic intelligence. In the afternoon, the QRA was activated again. This time it turned out to be an IL-20 Coot A spy plane.”
The NATO planes then escorted the Russian aircraft over international waters to the edge of the alliance’s airspace…
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