During the course of Thursday, January 22, Swedish Gripen fighters were deployed on an interception mission involving aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces over the Baltic Sea, specifically two Su-35S fighters escorting a Tu-22M3 bomber. According to information released by Russia’s Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the aircraft in question were conducting a scheduled flight along a route planned over neutral airspace, without further details being provided regarding its purpose.
Expanding on some relevant details, the official Russian statement indicated that the flight lasted more than five hours, although the presence of the Swedish fighters was only observed during certain segments of the mission and not throughout its entirety. It was also stated that the entire operation was conducted in accordance with flight regulations over international waters, with no incidents or dangerous maneuvers reported when the aircraft from Stockholm’s Quick Reaction Alert force approached.
In the absence of further details, it is useful to recall that this is not the first incident of this type so far this year, with recent precedents including the interception of a Russian Naval Aviation Be-200 amphibious aircraft flying over the Baltic Sea. In that case, Eurofighter fighters belonging to the Italian Air Force were tasked with tracking the aircraft after taking off from Ämari Air Base in Estonia, the episode standing out due to the type of aircraft deployed by Moscow, of which it operates only a limited number.
Prior to this event, NATO assets were also observed intercepting a group of Russian Su-30SM combat aircraft and An-26 transport aircraft conducting flights near the airspace of the Baltic States from Kaliningrad. A notable aspect of that operation was that one of the Su-30SM fighters was flying with its transponder turned off, while no flight plan had been filed.
Finally, if the focus is broadened to other recent deployments of Russian bombers, mention should be made of the recent deployment of Tu-95MS aircraft to conduct the first long-range patrols of the year over the Sea of Japan. As previously reported, the flight lasted approximately 11 hours and also included the escort of Su-30SM and Su-35S fighters, being regarded in Tokyo as a deterrence message directed at the United States and its regional allies, despite proceeding without major incidents.
Image credits: Russian Ministry of Defense, Swedish Air Force
You may also like: The Swedish Armed Forces order the purchase of new Arthur counter-battery radars from Saab
