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In Baltic skies, NATO and Russian pilots size each other up warily but without a tilt into war
- French Rafales scrambled under NATO command on Monday to intercept Russian Tu-22M3 bombers over the Baltic Sea, escorted by Su-30 and Su-35 fighters. The Russian aircraft lacked transponders and filed no flight plans, according to the French detachment.
- NATO alliance members police Baltic skies around the clock, seven days a week, to intercept aircraft violating International Civil Aviation Organization rules on flight plans and radio contact. Commanders say their goal is to deter, not provoke.
- The strategic bombers' more than four-hour flight from an airbase near Petersburg took them past the coasts of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, doubling back when they approached Denmark. These aircraft carry supersonic, anti-ship missiles capable of holding nuclear warheads.
- "It's a game of cat and mouse," said Lieutenant Colonel Alexandre, commander of the French Air Force wing. He added, "What is sure is that we need to go every time."
- According to Colonel Mihaita Marin, commanding the Romanian detachment, interceptions are getting close to daily and will increase as spring weather improves. French and Romanian flyers deployed on four-month NATO rotations at the start of April.
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'What we know is that we have to act every time,' says the Romanian military chief.
·Denmark
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Associated Press News+12 Reposted by 12 other sources
In Baltic skies, NATO and Russian pilots size each other up warily but without a tilt into war
In Baltic skies, there's a regular ballet of posturing between pilots from NATO nations and Russia. The military alliance regularly sends up fighter jets to intercept Russian flights that NATO says fail to adhere to international norms and endanger other flyers.
·United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources16
Leaning Left4Leaning Right3Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Center
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources are Center
42% Center
L 33%
C 42%
R 25%
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