Dutch fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers flying toward international airspace monitored by the Netherlands on behalf of NATO, Reuters reported Monday.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) scrambled F-16s after ascertaining that the Russian bombers did not have a unique identification code and did not provide a flight plan or engage in any two-way conversation, Reuters reported, citing an RNLAF spokesperson.
Russian airplanes have been known to violate or approach European airspaces in the past, the spokesperson added, per Reuters.
The presence of the Dutch F-16s deterred the Russian bombers, preventing them from entering Danish airspace, Sky News reported. (RELATED: Russian, Chinese Warships Operating In Alaskan Waters, US Dispatches Destroyers In Response)
Danish air force intercepts Russian bombers headed to Dutch NATO airspace https://t.co/ypsHdAgi0Z pic.twitter.com/1GIa81cKKL
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 14, 2023
The Russian military deployed a MiG-29 fighter to intercept a Norwegian R-8A Poseidon base patrol aircraft shortly thereafter, forcing the Norwegian plane to execute a U-turn as it approached Russia’s border, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed, per Sky News.
Also on Monday, Russian long-range maritime patrol bombers were spotted flying north of the United Kingdom within international airspace monitored by the UK on behalf of NATO, the British government said in a press release.
The Russian bombers, identified as Tu-142 Bear-F and Tu-142 Bear-J maritime patrol aircraft, “transited north of the Shetland Islands within NATO’s northern air policing area,” per the press release. The British Royal Air Force (RAF) scrambled two Typhoon jets and a Voyager fuel tanker for air-to-air refueling from RAF Lossiemouth, a military airfield in northeastern Scotland, according to the release. The British aircraft “stay[ed] on task until the mission was complete, and the target aircraft departed the UK’s area of interest,” the release stated.