Polish F-16 jets intercept Russian reconnaissance aircraft over Baltic Sea

Polish Air Force fighter jets intercepted and escorted a Russian aircraft operating over the Baltic Sea, the Polish Armed Forces said in an incident that underlined ongoing vigilance in NATO’s eastern airspace.

According to a statement, a pair of F-16 jets on quick reaction alert carried out visual identification and escorted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft out of Poland’s area of responsibility. The aircraft was flying in international airspace, the statement said.

The Russian aircraft reportedly did not submit a flight plan and had its transponder switched off, a practice that can make aircraft less visible to civilian air traffic control systems.

Poland stressed that its airspace was not violated during the incident.

Air interceptions are a routine element of air policing operations, designed to quickly identify aircraft that do not respond to air traffic control communications, are not following standard procedures, or could pose a potential risk.

Authorities said such procedures allow for rapid assessment of a flight’s nature, evaluation of any potential threat, and, if necessary, corrective measures such as altering course or directing an aircraft to land.

Poland, a NATO member, has in recent years increased its air defence readiness amid heightened regional tensions, particularly following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

By Aghakazim Guliyev