Russian Sea Scout Seen in the Line of Fire
Russian military aircraft repeatedly penetrate international airspace over the Baltic Sea without transponder signals and contact with air traffic control. This time, it's a maritime patrol aircraft of the IL-20M type. In response, German and Swedish fighter jets took off.
A Russian reconnaissance aircraft entered international airspace over the Baltic Sea without contacting air traffic control. Machines of the German and Swedish air forces, as well as NATO air policing in the Baltics, took off on Friday evening and escorted the Russian aircraft of the IL-20M type. The maritime patrol aircraft was traveling in the airspace off the island of Rügen "without a flight plan and contact with civil air traffic control."
The Iljushin IL-20M reconnaissance aircraft was developed in the Soviet Union and first observed by NATO in 1978 (NATO codename: Coot-A). The aircraft is equipped with special equipment for electronic and signals intelligence. During the Cold War, aircraft of this type were mainly sighted over European waters.
Reports of non-communicating Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea have been almost weekly in recent times, a spokesman for the air force said. However, this is not followed up in most cases if they do not behave suspiciously or quickly return to Russian airspace.
In mid-June, a Russian SU-24 bomber flew over the Swedish Baltic Sea island of Gotland, which is about 350 kilometers from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Two Swedish fighter jets were deployed to escort the Russian aircraft out of the airspace.
The Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022 led to Finland and Sweden joining NATO in 2023 and 2024. With the exception of Russia, all Baltic Sea countries are now members of the Western military alliance.
The European Union expressed concern over the repeated encroachments of Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. The European Union called for strict adherence to international aviation rules to ensure safety and prevent escalation.
