On multiple occasions, NATO fighters were deployed to identify and escort Russian aircraft that were flying without active transponders and flight plans.
On March 9, NATO air policing aircraft were tasked with identifying two SU-24 fighter jets that took off from the Kaliningrad exclave and later returned without maintaining communication, flight plans, or active transponders. This incident highlights ongoing monitoring and military readiness in response to Russian military activities in the region.
Following this, on March 11, NATO fighters scrambled again to identify a Su-24MR attack bomber and a Su-33 fighter jet, which had flown from mainland Russia and returned without the necessary communication and identification protocols. Additionally, the same day involved the identification of an An-26 military transport aircraft that exhibited the same deficiencies in communication and identification while traveling from Kaliningrad to mainland Russia.
On March 12, the NATO fighters intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft, the IL-20M, attempting to fly into the Kaliningrad exclave without an active transponder and flight plan. These actions by NATO forces reflect a robust commitment to airspace security and the ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe, particularly in light of the heightened activity of Russian military aircraft in the vicinity of NATO member states.
