Polish fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea
A pair of on-duty Polish fighter jets intercepted a Russian tactical bomber, which was executing dangerous manoeuvres in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, the defence minister has reported.
On Thursday evening, at the request of the allied NATO forces in Europe, the Polish pair of jets successfully located, intercepted and deterred the SU-24 aircraft of the Russian Federation, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told a press conference held in Cracow, southern Poland, on Friday.
Intercepting a foreign aircraft by military aviation involves approaching and establishing either visual or radio contact with a foreign aircraft that may be encroaching upon a country's airspace. Fighter pilots are then able to identify the aircraft and guide it to a designated flight path and, in more critical scenarios, they may force it to land at a specific airport.
In recent months, there have been several instances of Polish or allied fighters intercepting Russian aircraft in the Baltic Sea region.
Control of Russian aviation activity in the region is carried out by the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, utilising allied aircraft stationed at bases in Malbork, Poland, Siauliai, Lithuania and Amari, Estonia, to patrol the airspace over the Baltic States and the Baltic Sea itself. (PAP)
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