Published: 17/06/2019

RAF Typhoons scramble to intercept Russian fighters – The Baltic Air Policing Mission

An Ilyushin IL-76 Candid transport aircraft over the Baltic Sea where RAF crews intercepted and observed – photo: MoD Crown Copyright 2019 ©
An SU-30 Flanker aircraft (top) and an RAF Typhoon (bottom), taken on 15 June 2019 over the Baltic – photo: MoD Crown Copyright 2019 ©

vRoyal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets based at Ämari Air Base in Estonia were scrambled twice over the weekend (14-15 June) to intercept Russian fighter aircraft. Working in partnership with the Estonian authorities, this was a routine NATO airspace policing mission for the Typhoon detachment providing continued reassurance in the region.

This weekend’s activity indicates that the RAF have made eight intercepts of Russian aircraft since taking over the Baltic Air Policing mission on 3 May 2019.