Polish and French Jets Intercept Russian Il-20 Over Baltic Sea

Polish F-16s and French Rafale fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea.

The Operational Command of Poland’s Armed Forces and the French Army General Staff reported the incident.

The interception took place on April 8 during the aircraft’s reconnaissance mission.

At that time, a pair of Polish Air Force F-16s carried out a visual identification and escort of the Il-20 in international airspace over the Baltic Sea to prevent a violation of the country’s airspace.

Polish military officials noted that the Russian aircraft was flying without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off.

The Operational Command explained that interception procedures allow for the rapid identification of an aircraft’s intent, assessment of potential threats, and, if necessary, the implementation of preventive measures such as altering its course or forcing it to land.

These actions help reduce the risk of incidents and ensure the safety of both civilian air traffic and critical infrastructure.

On the same day, a pair of French Rafale B fighter jets deployed in Lithuania as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission intercepted the same aircraft over the southern part of the Baltic Sea.

The Russian Il-20 was flying along the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

The Rafale B jets took off from the Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania. This marked the first interception of a Russian aircraft by French fighters since the start of their Baltic Air Policing mission on April 1.

In late January, the Polish military reported violations of the country’s airspace by objects coming from the direction of Belarus. These were likely balloons or weather probes.

To ensure safety, temporary restrictions on civilian air traffic were introduced over part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship.