What Happened
NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission Sees First Interception By French Detachment
The French Air and Space Force has conducted its first interception since assuming the Baltic Air Policing mission, with two Rafale B fighters safely escorting a Russian Ilyushin IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft over the southern Baltic region. The intercept followed a NATO Alpha Scramble alert and marked the first time the French detachment has responded to such an alert since taking over the mission. The French Air and Space Force is operating four Rafale fighter aircraft under NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence system, with a Romanian Air Force contingent also deployed to Šiauliai. This development was first reported by AeroTime.