Swedish fighter jets intercepted Russian warplanes over the Baltic Sea, marking a significant moment in their integration with NATO.
The Swedish JAS-39 Gripen jets stormed the skies alongside German and Belgian aircraft on Monday morning after their flag was hoisted at NATO headquarters, in Brussels.
Following Sweden's official accession to the alliance on March 7, its multi-role jets participated in their first visual identification mission as part of the NATO Air Policing mission over the Baltic Sea.
In a show of operational readiness, the JAS-39 Gripens were scrambled twice on March 11 to identify and intercept Russian military aircraft.
NATO's Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Uedem had spotted an unidentified track over the Baltic Sea stretching from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia - sparking controllers to launch the Swedish jets from Sweden.
They also ordered Belgian F-16 fighter jets to launch from Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania.
Once the allies had taken to the skies, they both visually identified a Russian Tu-134 military aircraft that was not on a flight plan.
Another Russian military aircraft - an Antonov An-26 turboprop - was intercepted later in the same day by the Swedish Jas-39 Gripen jets and German Eurofighters.
The An-26 had appeared on NATO's radar screens and in a tense moment, the CAOC alerted the German Quick Reaction Alert Interceptors at Lielvarde who launched the track.
Sweden's seamless operation alongside the Germans demonstrated how they are already integrated within NATO's Air Power.
'This first real-world mission of Swedish Gripen occurred only days after becoming a NATO member,' NATO said in a statement.
'It is an impressive demonstration of the deep integration the Swedish Air Force has achieved with NATO Air Policing forces.'
The sequence of events proved the impressively dynamic nature of NATO Air Policing operations and the quick response required from member nations.
But this isn't the only recent example of NATO members being scrambled to carry out a double-interception mission of Russian warplanes over the Baltic Sea.
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