In recent hours, NATO’s Air Command confirmed that a Russian Aerospace Forces An-124 Ruslan strategic transport aircraft was intercepted by Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) F-35A stealth fighters while conducting a flight in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. The action was carried out by two fighters deployed from Ämari Air Base in Estonia.
Italy’s renewed presence in the Baltic region represents another rotation within NATO’s Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission, in which Italy has previously participated by deploying other assets such as Eurofighter combat aircraft to Lithuania, and now with the arrival of its fifth-generation F-35As in Estonia.
Since their arrival at Ämari and entry into service on August 1 under Operation Baltic Eagle III, the aircraft have been fully integrated into NATO’s air defense system (NATINADS), enabling constant surveillance and rapid response to aerial intrusions.
Among the first deployments of the 32nd Wing, in mid-August the Italian F-35s carried out their first mission by intercepting and identifying two Russian Navy aircraft flying in international airspace without activating transponders, without a flight plan, and without establishing contact with civilian air traffic control. While no further details were provided, viralized images confirmed the presence of a Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft, likely a reconnaissance variant, and a Sukhoi Su-33 fighter, both belonging to the Russian Navy’s Naval Aviation.
Returning to the events reported yesterday, August 28, another unreported flight was detected involving an aircraft without a flight plan and with transponders switched off, activating the QRA protocol and falling within the area of responsibility of the Italian assets deployed in Estonia. At the moment of interception, the pair of Italian fighters confirmed the presence of an An-124 Ruslan, the largest strategic transport aircraft in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. It is worth noting that in 2021, Italian F-35As had already intercepted an An-12 cargo aircraft flying without a transponder in a similar mission, though at that time operating out of Ämari under Operation Baltic Eagle II.
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