Swedish Gripen Jets Intercept Russian Aircraft for the First Time During NATO Mission

Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft, which have been patrolling NATO’s airspace from Poland since April, were launched for the first time to intercept a Russian aircraft.

The NATO Air Command reported this on its official account.

Two Gripen fighter aircraft took off from the Malbork air base and conducted a visual identification of the Russian Il-20M surveillance-reconnaissance aircraft.

The identification took place in international airspace over the Baltic Sea, north of the Polish coastline.

“For the first time, as part of NATO’s enhanced Air Policing Mission, Swedish Gripen jets were scrambled in response to a Russian aircraft close to NATO airspace,” the statement noted.

It was also noted that the work of the Swedish pilots, who are on duty in Poland alongside the British, demonstrates “flawless integration.”

The interception was performed under the guidance of NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany.

Since April, Swedish fighter jets have started patrolling the airspace of NATO allies in the northern surveillance zone of the North Atlantic Alliance from Polish territory as part of the Enhanced Air Policing mission. This is the first time since the country’s accession to NATO.

This mission was established after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Along with the aircraft and pilots, technical personnel will also arrive in Poland to service the JAS 39 Gripen jets on the ground.

Over the past week, British Typhoon fighters, involved in the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, were scrambled three times to identify and escort Russian aircraft.

Fighter aircraft are launched into the air because Russian planes switch off their transponders and approach too closely to the airspace of NATO countries. The lack of such a signal makes it impossible for civilian air traffic controllers to identify the aircraft and creates a potential threat to civilian aviation routes. These flights are aimed at reconnaissance, provocation, and showing force.