Another incident between NATO forces and the Russian Aerospace Forces has been recorded in the Baltic, involving French Air and Space Force Rafale fighters and a Russian IL-20M Coot-A signals intelligence aircraft. The event was confirmed by the French Armed Forces General Staff on February 17, as part of the Air Policing Missions that French fighter jets are currently conducting in the region.
Since last December, the French Air and Space Force has strengthened its presence in the Baltic to carry out NATO Air Policing Missions. Specifically, since December 1, a new detachment of Rafale fighters has been operating from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, complementing the Italian Air Force’s (Aeronautica Militaire) Eurofighters.
“Starting December 1, French Air Force Rafale fighters will reinforce the Italian Eurofighters in Lithuania, providing NATO with an effective Air Policing capability. France has participated in NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic region since 2007; this year marks the twelfth time that the French Air and Space Force has deployed its aircraft, reaffirming its commitment to this ongoing collective mission,” reported NATO’s Allied Air Command at the time.
Regarding the incident reported on February 17, it is likely that the Russian military aircraft was conducting a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering flight without properly filing its flight plan and with transponders turned off, thereby triggering the QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) protocol, executed by the French fighters.
Upon interception, the Rafales identified the aircraft as an IL-20M Coot-A, a variant specialized in SIGINT/COMINT (signals intelligence and communications intelligence) missions, based on the Ilyushin Il-18 and commonly deployed by the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) to assess NATO response times.
This latest encounter between French fighters and Russian aircraft follows a similar incident in mid-January, when the French government reported that a Russian Armed Forces S-400 air defense system illuminated a French Navy Atlantique 2 (ATL2) patrol aircraft while it was flying over the Baltic.
Such incidents have become routine in the region, where both NATO and the Russian Armed Forces continuously test each other’s detection and response times while also demonstrating the operational readiness and availability of their air and naval assets.
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