The NATO Airlines Command says two Italian F-35 fighters take off at Estonia’s äMARI Air Force Base, intercepting Russian military aircraft near the alliance.
According to NATO, this takeoff is part of the Baltic Sea Air Guard. AN-124 CondorIt was carried out after detecting the approach. The plane was conducted on international waters, but there was no communication with no flight plan, transponders, and aviation traffic control.
The Italian fighter was operated by the 32 and 6 flight tasks airlines and performed an intercept mission to safely track Condor’s flight route. The NATO headquarters emphasized that the operation shows the willingness of the alliance to protect the three Baltic countries and maintain the security on the eastern side.
Baltic Sea Group Defense
The Italian fighter dispatch is part of the NATO regular mission to protect Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and is carried out with the contributing air force unit that is circulated. The Italian existence at the äMARI base strengthens the integrated group defense approach that allies share their suppression and surveillance responsibilities.
The AN-124 condos are regarded as one of the largest aircraft in the world, and were escorted until they left the surveillance zone. After the end of the mission, the Italian F-35 fighters returned to the base safely.
Russian activity increase
Italian pilots have already participated in several interceptors in the Baltic Sea and supported alliance partners in response to the increase in Russian military activities in the region. These missions include encounters with fighters, bombers and transports.
Source: x @nato_aircom. This content was written with the help of AI and was reviewed by the editorial team.
