The German Air Force launched fighter jets into the air yesterday after spotting an Antonov An-26 flying over the Baltic Sea.
According to the Team Luftwaffe Twitter channel, a plane flew over Baltic Sea airspace without a flight plan and transceiver. If an aircraft cannot be contacted for any reason, military aircraft are sent into the air to conduct the assessment. German Eurofighter fighters from Lielvard Air Base in Latvia were sent to the suspicious plane. Once it arrived, it turned out to be an An-26, registered RF-46897. According to the data, this device is from Jetphotos.com Built in 1977 and since then in service with the Russian Navy. It is not known what ultimately happened to the device.
Base in Latvia
Lielvarde Air Base is located 70 kilometers from the Latvian capital, Riga. Since March this year, the airport has become the third NATO base from which air policing missions for the Baltic region over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are carried out. When rapid NATO action is required, as in the case of the errant An-26, military aircraft are sent into the air from there to determine the course of events and protect Allied airspace. Lielvard has been temporarily designated as a NATO base after runway work began at Al Omari Air Base in Estonia.
German input
The German Luftwaffe sent five Eurofighters to Latvia at the end of February this year to take over the role of the Polish Air Force. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprudus said: “We are grateful to all allies who contributed their forces to the mission of protecting NATO airspace and our people.” mistake While using Lielvarde as a NATO base.
