On January 16, NATO Air Command announced that Eurofighters of the Italian Air Force intercepted an unusual Be-200 amphibious aircraft of the Russian Naval Aviation as it was approaching airspace over the Baltic Sea within NATO’s area of responsibility. According to available information, the mission was carried out by two Typhoons deployed from Ämari Air Base in Estonia, which are part of the deployment assigned by Rome to conduct enhanced Air Policing operations in the region under the framework of the Atlantic Alliance.
The event is noteworthy not because of the interception of an aircraft in defense of European airspace—of which more than 500 cases have been recorded during 2025 according to NATO itself—but rather due to the presence of the aforementioned Beriev Be-200, of which the Russian Navy operates only a very limited number. This is an amphibious aircraft designed for a wide range of missions, including firefighting, transport of personnel and cargo, search and rescue, and maritime surveillance. It is also noteworthy that it is a jet-powered amphibious aircraft, as propeller-driven platforms are far more common for this type of role.
Regarding the number of aircraft of this type operated by the Russian Navy, various estimates suggest a fleet of between one and three units, making it even more unusual for a Be-200 to be involved in this kind of operation. Moreover, the Beriev plant responsible for manufacturing the aircraft in the city of Taganrog was targeted by Ukrainian attacks using unmanned systems, which—although not resulting in official confirmation of the loss of any aircraft—would have degraded the ability to produce them again.
It is also worth mentioning that this is not the only recent interception mission carried out by Italian fighters against Russian aircraft that are rarely seen, as was the case with the Tu-134A-4 “Black Pearl.” As we reported toward the end of last November, that aircraft was intercepted by Italian Eurofighters while being escorted by two Su-30SM2 fighters of the Russian Navy en route to Kaliningrad, marking the first time this had occurred since 2020.
Finally, returning to the high number of interception missions carried out by European aircraft within NATO airspace, it should be recalled that Italian Eurofighters arrived in Estonia in September 2025 to take over from the Aeronautica Militare’s F-35A fighters. During their stay in the country, the stealth fighters were involved in 150 sorties, accumulating more than 300 flight hours. Of that total, around 10 were reported as A-scrambles, sorties conducted under a high level of alert.
Cover image: NATO
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