The Russian military targeted a French Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic patrol aircraft conducting surveillance of underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, the French Armed Forces Joint Staff reported.

It is reported that a Russian naval unit (probably a ship) started to irradiate the aircraft with a fire control radar.

A Russian naval unit, likely a warship, illuminated the aircraft with a fire-control radar.

The Joint Staff described this act as a “noticeably aggressive and unjustified attempt to obstruct freedom of navigation in international airspace.”

A similar incident occurred on January 19, when a Russian S-400 air defense system locked its targeting radar onto the same aircraft type.

Moreover, electronic warfare systems attempted to disrupt the patrol aircraft’s operations.

Operation Baltic Sentinel

On January 14, NATO announced the launch of a new Operation Baltic Sentinel aimed at safeguarding maritime infrastructure in the region.

The announcement was made during a summit of NATO’s Baltic member states, attended by Secretary General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal.

At the summit, regional leaders discussed the increasing threat to critical underwater infrastructure.

Under the operation, NATO ships and aircraft are providing security, and a fleet of naval drones has been deployed.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force also joined the mission in late January with its fifth-generation F-35A multirole fighter jets.

Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic

Developed initially as an anti-submarine warfare aircraft, the Atlantique first flew on May 8, 1981. Over the years, it has undergone multiple upgrades, evolving into a multi-role maritime patrol aircraft.

The most recent major modernization, Standard 6, started in 2013 and focused on avionics enhancements.

Upgrades included a Thales Searchmaster search radar, an MX-20 electro-optical sensor with day/night optics, a laser designator, a modern tactical computer, and a digital acoustic signal processing system.

Despite these improvements, some older systems remain onboard, including passive and active sonar buoys, an infrared forward-looking camera for surface target detection, a magnetic anomaly detector for locating submerged submarines, and electronic reconnaissance units for intercepting radio transmissions.

The modernization has expanded the combat capabilities of the aircraft. The Atlantique 2 can now carry up to four laser-guided bombs from the Paveway series, including the 500-pound GBU-12/B and 250-pound GBU-58/B.

These complement its existing arsenal of MU90 anti-submarine torpedoes and AM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles.