German, Swedish fighter jets track Russian reconnaissance plane flying over Baltic Sea

FILE - A German Eurofighter gets ready for takeoff at Neuburg Air Base in Neuburg An Der Donau, Germany, Monday Aug. 15, 2022. (Daniel Karmann/dpa via AP, File)
FILE - A German Eurofighter gets ready for takeoff at Neuburg Air Base in Neuburg An Der Donau, Germany, Monday Aug. 15, 2022. (Daniel Karmann/dpa via AP, File)
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

BERLIN (AP) — Air force fighter jets from Germany and Sweden were scrambled Sunday to intercept and track a Russian surveillance plane that was flying unidentified over the Baltic Sea, military officials said.

Two Swedish Gripen jets and two German Eurofighter jets deployed in international airspace to monitor and photograph the Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft. It had been flying without providing a flight path or radio contact that could signal its presence, Swedish and German air force officials said.

The monitoring, which ended without incident, came as NATO and European Union member countries have been on heightened alert for Russian military and reconnaissance activities in and around their airspace.

On Friday, three Russian fighter aircraft entered Estonia’s airspace without permission and stayed there for 12 minutes, the Estonian Foreign Ministry said. That happened just over a week after NATO planes downed Russian drones over Poland and heightened fears that the war in Ukraine could spill over.

"Today, (Swedish) JAS 39 Gripens and (German) Eurofighters were scrambled over the South Baltic Sea, identifying and monitoring a Russian IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace," the Swedish air force said on its X account.

The German Luftwaffe said its jets had initially followed the Russian plane before handing off monitoring to the fighters from NATO ally Sweden, and then returning to Rostock-Laage airfield in northern Germany.

 

Trending Videos

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links

Trending Videos

On Air & Up Next

  • California Business Connections
     
    Host Carl Davis Junior talks to the rock starts of Silicon Valley, and offers you engaging interviews and insights.
     
  • Bloomberg Businessweek
    5:00PM - 6:00PM
     
    Get the latest news from the world of business and finance and the interesting   >>
     
  • InvestTalk with Justin Klein and Luke Guerrero
     
    InvestTalk™ serves as your go-to educational platform to delve into the   >>
     
  • Business on the Edge
    7:00PM - 8:00PM
     
    Money Team 2.0 Business Coach, Margaret Jackson, engages your thoughts in   >>
     
  • Bloomberg Businessweek
    8:00PM - 9:00PM
     
    Get the latest news from the world of business and finance and the interesting   >>
     

See the Full Program Guide