On April 26 – May 2, fighter aircraft conducting the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states were scrambled two times to identify and escort military aircraft of the Russian Federation in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea.
On April 28 NATO air policing fighter aircraft intercepted one TU-134 flying from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad, its onboard transponder was on, the crew did not have a pre-filed flight plan but kept radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre.
On April 28 NATO fighter aircraft intercepted one AN-12 flying from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad with its onboard transponder off, keeping radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre, without the flight plan. The air policing fighter jets also intercepted one AN-30 flying from the mainland of the Russian Federation to Kaliningrad with its onboard transponder off, without keeping radio communication with the regional air traffic control centre, without the flight plan. In the course of the same scramble the NATO fighter aircraft also intercepted two SU-35s flying from mainland Russia into the airspace over the Baltic Sea and then back. Their onboard transponders were off, the crews were not keeping radio contact, no flight plans had been pre-filed.
Related image, MoD archive (credit: A. Gedrimas)
