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Russian reconnaissance plane spotted over the Baltic Sea. German Air Force issues statement
, 20:53, 29.02.2024
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
German Eurofighters scrambled after identifying an unauthorized Russian Il-20M aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea. This is the third such incident in a week, raising concerns about Russian activities
Another Russian plane was spotted over the Baltic Sea
The German Air Force reported that it has identified a reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea for the third time this week. Similar incidents occurred on Monday and Tuesday.
On Thursday (February 29), Eurofighters from the Laage air base in northern Germany were scrambled after an unidentified aircraft was detected. The pilots identified the aircraft as a Russian Il-20M reconnaissance plane.
The Russian aircraft was spotted over the Baltic Sea. This is the third incident in a short period of time
The German Air Force reported the incident on its website. According to the information provided by the pilots, the Russian aircraft was identified at 9:51 a.m. local time. A similar situation occurred on Monday (February 26) near Finland.
At that time, the Russian aircraft, probably the same one, was identified by the German Air Force southeast of Helsinki.
The Luftwaffe reported that the aircraft did not have an approved flight plan. "The operation ended after visual contact was established, without further incidents," the German Air Force said in a statement.
Are Russian planes spying on the Baltic states? French fighters intervened over Estonia
Another incident involving the same type of Russian reconnaissance aircraft occurred on Tuesday (February 27) off the coast of Estonia. This time, French Mirage 2000-5 fighters patrolling the airspace over NATO's eastern flank intervened.
French television BFM TV reported that the fighters escorted the Russian Il-20M out of Estonian airspace. The media also reported that the aircraft was equipped with a side-looking radar used for conducting espionage operations and taking aerial photographs.
https://twitter.com/EtatMajorFR/status/1762499425736536106
The Il-20M aircraft were used during the Soviet era. They are primarily used for reconnaissance purposes. The Russians also use them in the 21st century. They were used, among other things, during operations conducted in Syria. They are currently being used in the war in Ukraine.
