French fighter jets were deployed to intercept Russian aircraft that were believed to be heavily armed as they approached NATO airspace. Six Russian planes were observed near Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia over the Baltic Sea, prompting authorities to dispatch four Rafale B fighters for an “enhanced Air Policing Mission.” The operation was conducted from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, where France leads NATO’s air policing efforts.
Video footage released by the French military captured Rafale fighter jets monitoring a Su-30SM fighter and a Russian Il-20M electronic intelligence aircraft, potentially armed with Kh-31P or Kh-31PM anti-radiation missiles. These weapons are commonly used to target radar and air defense systems. The French Rafales reportedly utilized Thales Talios targeting pods during the operation, enhancing their long-range visual identification capabilities for assessing potential threats from a safe distance.
While primarily designed for offensive missions, these systems also offer extended visual identification capabilities for remote threat assessment. These activities are part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, which aims to safeguard the airspace integrity of the Baltic region.
In a separate incident, NATO jets were scrambled on Wednesday following Russian strikes in Ukraine that included renewed attacks on Odesa region ports near NATO territory in Romania. The Romanian Air Force deployed two F-16 aircraft from the Air Police Combat Service, with air defense systems placed on alert. Drones heading towards Izmail, Ukraine, were also detected, prompting further action by the Romanian forces.