On August 13, Lockheed Martin F-35a Cales of the Italian Air Force were first deployed in the current rotation at the ämari air base, in Estonia, to intercept Russian military aircraft.
The Italians recently assumed the mission in replacement of the Romanian Air Force, integrating into the Air Space Protection scheme of the Baltic countries within the Baltic Air Policing operation, carried out by NATO since 2004.
According to NATO’s air command, which spread images of the operation, the Italian F-35 approached a SU-27 Russian hunting-which, according to some sources, was actually a SU-33-and a Su-24 tactical bomber.
Surveillance and Quick Response Mission
The Baltic Air Policing mission aims to protect the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, guaranteeing an immediate response to any unidentified incursion. In practice, this means that NATO fighters take off to intercept Russian aircraft that fly to or from the continental Russia without presenting a flight plan and with the transposeor off.
According to NATO, these alert takeoffs (“scrolmble”) are routine procedures, but essential to guarantee the safety and integrity of allied airspace.
Source and images: Instagram @ministerodifesa_oficial. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
