Finland and Sweden Jointly Intercept Russian Aircraft Over Gulf of Finland for the First Time

On September 24, Finnish and Swedish fighter jets carried out their first joint mission to intercept and identify Russian military aircraft over the Gulf of Finland.

The Swedish Armed Forces announced the operation.

The mission involved Finnish F/A-18 Hornet and Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets from the countries’ Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) forces. The aircraft operated under the command of the Finnish Air Force’s Air Operations Centre.

The fighter jets intercepted three Russian military aircraft flying in international airspace: a Tu-134 transport plane, a MiG-31 interceptor, and a Su-30 multirole fighter.

Finnish and Swedish fighter jets normally carry out Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) missions from their own national air bases. However, when needed, they can also operate from air bases in the neighboring country. The deployment of the aircraft and their response times are adjusted based on the operational situation.

Militarnyi previously reported that in July 2024, Sweden and Finland simultaneously scrambled fighter jets to escort Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea. In April 2026, Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighters, together with Danish aircraft, also intercepted Russian Tu-22M3 bombers and their escort fighters over the Baltic Sea.

Such missions are important for continuously monitoring the airspace and responding quickly to possible airspace violations. This is particularly relevant given that a Russian military aircraft violated Finnish airspace earlier this year, after which the incident was investigated by the Finnish Border Guard.