The Swedish Air Force conducted the first surveillance mission near the Russian border after joining NATO.

OSINTers report on this with reference to the Flightradar24 service.

The mission took place along the eastern border of Poland over the Baltic Sea, where recently, the flights of Russian combat aviation have intensified.

It should be noted that the flight was aimed at gathering intelligence on the deployment and activities of Russian troops in the region.

The Swedish Air Force deployed a Saab 340 AEW (S100D) airborne early warning and control aircraft and a Gulfstream S102B Korpen electronic intelligence (ELINT) aircraft.

The aircraft are part of the 72nd ASC Squadron and 73rd SIGINT Squadron from Malmen Air Base.

It should be noted that these are not the first flights of Swedish reconnaissance aircraft near the border with Russia. The country has been conducting regular reconnaissance activities in the Baltic Sea since the beginning of the Cold War.

In addition, the country has other electronic intelligence assets in the region, which, before Sweden joined NATO, were aimed at collecting intelligence activities of the Russian Armed Forces and European countries.

It should be noted that the activity of Russian forces in the Baltic Sea is also linked to the deployment of Swedish anti-ship and radar systems on the island of Gotland.

Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic Sea and belongs to Sweden. Because of its location, the country has the ability to exercise full control of the sea and airspace in the region, which Russia does not like.

Militarnyi reported on March 7, 2024, that Sweden officially became the new 32nd member of the North Atlantic Alliance.

“Sweden is a strong democracy with a highly capable military that shares our values and vision for the world. Having Sweden as a NATO Ally will make the United States and our Allies even safer. NATO is the most powerful defensive alliance in the history of the world, and it is as critical today to ensure the security of our citizens as it was 75 years ago when our Alliance was founded out of the wreckage of World War II,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson emphasized.