NATO fighters in the Baltic states scrambled four times last week to identify and escort Russian military aircraft that violated flight rules, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense reported on Monday.
On April 13, 14, and 17, NATO fighters were deployed to intercept Russian reconnaissance aircraft Il-20. The aircraft were flying with their transponders turned off and without flight plans, not maintaining radio contact with the Regional Air Traffic Control Center.
On April 13, a military transport aircraft An-26 was also identified. It was flying without a flight plan but with its transponder on and maintained communication with the controllers.
On April 15, fighters were scrambled to intercept two multipurpose Su-30SM fighters. These aircraft were also flying with their transponders turned off, without flight plans, and did not communicate with the control center.
