Russian spy planes patrol alarm four NATO air forces

[Boats]

Russian spy planes patrol alarm four NATO air forces
By: CLEMENT CHARPENTREAU - Aerotime Hub Bews - 03-30-21
Re: https://www.aerotime.aero/27571-russ...-nato-fighters

Photo link: https://www.aerotime.aero/upload/fil...phoon_crop.jpg

After they were detected and tracked by NATO air defense radars, two Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-142 Bear-F strategic surveillance aircraft flying south from the Barents Sea with their transponders off were consecutively intercepted by the Quick Reaction Alert aircraft of the Norwegian, British, Belgian, and French air forces.

As they took off above the Barents Sea, the two maritime patrol planes were escorted by a patrol of Su-33 fighter jets. They then flew south, off the coast of Norway, where two Norwegian F-16s were sent to accompany them. Soon enough, they approached Scotland, alerting the Quick Reaction Alert personnel of the Royal Air Force. Eurofighter Typhoon fighters were scrambled for the interception, assisted by an A330 MRTT Voyager tanker.

When the two aircraft started to get too close to the Dutch coast, the Benelux air defense system decided to launch the chase. Two F-16MLU Fighting Falcon fighters of the Belgian Air Force took off from the Florennes airbase and headed for the Friesland. Meanwhile, the French Air Force monitored the path of the spy planes, using an Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft.

"The flight of the Northern Fleet’s maritime aircraft was performed in strict compliance with international rules of using the airspace," the Russian Northern Fleet press service said. The whole flight lasted 11 hours.

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NATO fighters intercept Russian planes flying from Kaliningrad
By: Clement Charpentreau - Aerotime Hub
Re: https://www.aerotime.aero/26350-nato...om-kaliningrad

In the span of a week, Eurofighter Typhoon jets assigned to NATO Baltic Air Policing mission identified and escorted two Russian military aircraft as they were flying out of Kaliningrad.

“Fighters performing NATO air policing functions in the Baltic States have twice identified and escorted Russian Federation military aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea in the international space,” the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense reports.

On November 2, 2020, NATO air defense radars identified an Antonov An-26 flying from the landlocked region of Kaliningrad towards the Russian mainland. The aircraft flew without a flight plan but with its radar transponder on. It maintained radio communication with the Regional Air Traffic Control Center throughout the flight. Typhoons were scrambled to intercept the aircraft and escort it.

On November 6, 2020, another An-26 flying out of Kaliningrad Oblast was spotted. This time, however, the military transport aircraft kept its transponder off. Again, NATO fighters were sent for visual identification and to escort the plane.

Since September 2020, the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission is led by the Aeronautica Militare, the Italian Air Force, from the Lithuanian Air Base in Šiauliai, with the assistance of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, operating from the Estonian Air Base in Amari. The two contingents deployed are flying the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.
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Earlier Report:
NATO fighters intercept Russian bombers approaching UK airspace
By: Clement Charpentreau - Aerotime Hub News
Re: https://www.aerotime.aero/26172-nato...ng-uk-airspace


NATO fighters intercept Russian bombers approaching UK airspace
on 16th October 2020Image : © Crown copyright
DEFENSE
Clement Charpentreau
CLEMENT CHARPENTREAU
NATO fighters intercept Russian bombers approaching UK airspace
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British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets intercepted and turned away two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers as they were approaching the British airspace. They had been visually identified beforehand by F-16 fighter jets from the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

After being detected by NATO air defense radars, the two Blackjacks triggered a Quick Reaction Alert interception by F-16 fighter jets of the Luftforsvaret, the Royal Norwegian Air Force, located in Bodø Airbase. The strategic bombers were visually identified and tailed as they were cruising south, towards the United Kingdom’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

As the Blackjacks maintained their flight, live-armed RAF Eurofighter Typhoons scrambled from their temporary base at Leuchars Station to intercept the two Blackjacks. Their home base, RAF Station Lossiemouth, was undergoing runway renovation from July to October 2020. An A330 MRTT Voyager took off from RAF Brize Norton to support the fighter jets.

“The Control and Reporting Centre at RAF Scampton routed us directly to the Tu-160 Blackjacks so that we could take over the mission from our Norwegian allies,” one of the Typhoon pilots reported. “Air to air refuelling from an RAF Voyager ensured we were able to stay on task until the two Blackjacks departed from the UK’s area of interest.”

The Blackjack bombers subsequently turned away from the British airspace, escorted again by the Luftforsvaret F-16s. As for the Typhoons, they landed in their permanent base in RAF Lossiemouth.

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Another earlier report:
RAF P-8 Poseidon submarine hunters arrive in definitive base
By: Clement Charpentreau - Aerotime Hub news
Re: https://www.aerotime.aero/26168-raf-...efinitive-base

After being temporarily based in Royal Air Force Station Kinloss, northern Scotland, the new-generation Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft of the British RAF finally reached their ultimate residence in RAF Station Lossiemouth. The base has undergone structure renovation to accommodate the new submarine hunters.

Known as the Poseidon MRA (maritime, reconnaissance and attack) within the Royal Air Force, the first Boeing P-8A, tail number ZP801, was delivered on February 4, 2020. Out of the nine ordered, four Poseidons should be in service within the Royal Air Force by the end of 2020.

However, the RAF Lossiemouth where they were to be deployed had to undergo some change before the P-8As could be based there. Work included renovating the runway, a new Air Traffic Control Tower, accommodation for the additional personnel, and more.

The base already houses four squadrons of Eurofighter Typhoons. From July to October 2020, no fixed-wing aircraft were able to operate from the base as the “stripping, strengthening, and resurfacing all of the runways, taxiways and dispersals” took place, according to the RAF. Thus, the fighter jets dedicated to Quick Reaction Alert missions moved to Leuchars Station in Fife, on the eastern coast of Scotland, while training continued at Station Kinloss.

Kinloss is also where the Poseidon MRA were temporarily deployed. On August 7, 2020, a P-8A carried out its first mission from the base on the northern Scottish coast by monitoring a Russian warship cruising in the North Sea near the United Kingdom’s sovereign waters.

On October 13, 2020, RAF Lossiemouth was reopened to both its old and new aircraft. A first Poseidon MRA landed, marking the beginning of the base’s new mission as the center for the UK maritime patrol operations.

The P-8 Poseidon is a multi-role maritime patrol aircraft, equipped with a naval search radar for search and tracking capability. “It boasts a comprehensive communications suite which means the intelligence it gathers can be passed to commanders whether they are in the air, on a ship, on the ground, or back at RAF Lossiemouth,” says the air force.

Based on the fuselage of the Boeing 737-800, with the wings of the -900, it is powered by two CFM56-7B engines from CFM International, giving it a range of 5900 kilometers (3666 miles).

It can also be fitted, both internally and externally, with an array of armaments dedicated to submarine and anti-ship warfare, such as torpedoes, mines, depth charges, and anti-ship missiles.

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So NATO is seeing more incursions into its air space (of late) and is responding to these aircraft movements. To do otherwise could result in ill-fated foresight!.
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Boats

[Boats]

NATO scrambles jets 10 times to track Russian military planes across Europe
By: Barbara Starr - CNN Pentagon Correspondent - 03-20-21
Re: https://us.cnn.com/2021/03/30/politi...ets/index.html

(CNN)NATO scrambled fighter jets 10 times Monday to track and intercept an unusually "rare peak" of Russian bombers and fighters flying over the North Sea, Black Sea and Baltic Sea, according to a NATO official.

"NATO aircraft intercepted six different groups of Russian military aircraft near alliance airspace in less than six hours," the organization said in a statement.
The Russian activity across an unusually wide area of European skies came on the same day North American Aerospace Defense Command said it tracked Russian aircraft off the coast of Alaska.
None of the Russian aircraft entered the national airspace of NATO nations in Europe and the intercepts were considered safe, but an alliance statement detailed the activity.

Norwegian F-16s scrambled after radars detected two groups of Russian military aircraft near Norway's coastline. The Norwegians intercepted two Tu-95 Bear bombers which flew south over the North Sea. That prompted the United Kingdom to send up Typhoon aircraft and Belgium to deploy F-16 fighters. The Norwegian F-16s later intercepted two Tu-160 bombers over international waters nearby.

Separately, NATO radars detected three Russian military aircraft near allied airspace over the Black Sea which were tracked by Turkish, Romanian and Bulgarian fighters aircraft until they left the area.

In another encounter, NATO said Italian fighter jets intercepted a Russian II-38 maritime patrol aircraft which was already being escorted by Russian fighter jets over the Baltic Sea flying from Kaliningrad.

CNN reported Saturday that the US is preparing to carry out a classified war game this summer where a major focus of the scenarios will be how the US should respond to aggressive action and unexpected moves by China and Russia.

Tensions with Russia are high, and last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called out Russia for "reckless and adversarial actions" at a NATO meeting in Brussels and observed that Moscow has "built up a forces, large scale exercises and acts of intimidation, in the Baltic and Black Sea."

"Intercepting multiple groups of Russian aircraft demonstrates NATO forces' readiness and capability to guard Allied skies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year," Brig. Gen. Andrew Hansen, deputy chief of staff operations at Allied Air Command, said in the NATO statement.

NATO aircraft scrambled more than 400 times in 2020 to intercept unknown aircraft according to the alliance. About 90 percent were in response to flights by Russian aircraft. NATO says Russian flights often pose a risk to civilian air traffic over Europe because the Russians often fly without transmitting a transponder code indicating their position and altitude and do not file a flight plan or communicate with air traffic controllers.

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Personal note: Once again you have to monitor your air space and send the appropriate
counter-measures to let them know they are where they don't belong. Russia will test the
water's just to see what if any responses will be made. Deterrence is a major issue so
they might suspect an open door to invasion - or worse?
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Boats

[Boats]

NATO fighters intercepted half a dozen groups of Russian military aircraft near alliance airspace in under 6 hours
By: Business Insider News - Rayan Pickrell - 03-30-21 (3-hrs ago)
Re: https://www.businessinsider.com/nato...-nearby-2021-3

Photo link: https://i.insider.com/60637a81218875...jpeg&auto=webp
NATO fighter intercepts Russian military aircraft NATO

* NATO scrambled jets 10 times Monday to intercept Russian military planes near alliance airspace.

* Fighters intercepted 6 groups of Russian military aircraft in less than 6 hours, NATO said.

* The same day, NORAD identified and tracked a Russian maritime patrol aircraft operating near Alaska.

NATO jets responded to an unusually high number of Russian military aircraft flights near allied airspace on Monday.

Alliance fighter aircraft were "scrambled 10 times on Monday, March 29, 2021, to shadow Russian bombers and fighters during an unusual peak of flights over the North Atlantic, North Sea, Black Sea and Baltic Sea," the organization said in a statement.

In less than 6 hours, fighters intercepted 6 different groups of Russian military aircraft.

Norwegian and Belgian F-16s, as well as British Typhoons, intercepted a pair of Tu-95 Bear bombers. Norwegian fighters also intercepted two Tu-160 Blackjack bombers. Turkish, Romanian, and Bulgarian fighters responded to three groups of Russian military aircraft over the Black Sea. And, Italian fighters intercepted a Russian maritime patrol aircraft over the Baltic Sea.

Though Russian military aircraft flights near NATO airspace are not uncommon, it is out of the ordinary to see that many flights in a single day.

Last year, NATO countries scrambled fighter aircraft over 400 times to intercept questionable aircraft, and 90% of those aircraft were Russian.

The alliance explained Monday that "Russian military aircraft often do not transmit a transponder code indicating their position and altitude, do not file a flight plan, or do not communicate with air traffic controllers, posing a potential risk to civilian airliners."

The Russian military aircraft intercepted Monday never entered alliance airspace, NATO said, adding that all intercepts were safe and routine.

"Intercepting multiple groups of Russian aircraft demonstrates NATO forces' readiness and capability to guard Allied skies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year," said Brig. Gen. Andrew Hansen, the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at Allied Air Command.

As NATO fighter jets intercepted Russian military aircraft in Europe, the bilateral North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which defends the US and Canada, identified and tracked two Tu-142 Russian maritime patrol aircraft in international airspace near Alaska.

Recently, the NORAD commander, US Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, told Congress that "Russia continues to conduct frequent military operations in the approaches to North America."

The general added that last year, "NORAD responded to more Russian military flights off the coast of Alaska than we've seen in any year since the end of the Cold War." These flights involved heavy bombers, anti-submarine aircraft, and intelligence assets.

In his testimony, VanHerck asserted that "Russia presents a persistent, proximate threat to the United States and Canada and remains the most acute challenge to our homeland defense mission."