US F-15s In Estonia Scrambled To Intercept Russian Jets Over Baltic

It appears some of the F-15 fighter jets that Biden recently deployed to Estonia are already seeing some level of action against the backdrop of the tense Ukraine standoff with Russia.

On Friday, NATO Allied Air Command revealed a Thursday intercept incident, as tensions remain on edge: “US F-15Es scrambled and intercepted Russian fighters operating near Allied air space over the Baltic Sea while Norwegian and British aircraft intercepted Russian aircraft in flying from the Barents into the North Sea on Thursday February 3, 2022,” it said in a message posted to its website. 

The intercept which took place north of Scotland (the North Sea reference above) was the second such intercept near Britain in as many days, and was widely reported, while the Baltic Sea incident was not previously divulged.

The Baltic incident involved at least five Russian aircraft, per the NATO statement: 

The US F-15 aircraft positively identified two Russian Su-35s and two MiG-31s, which had not filed flight plans and were not communicating with Air Traffic Control. During the intercept, it was confirmed that these fighters were escorting a Russian TU-154 transport aircraft. At no time did the Russian aircraft enter Allied airspace and all interactions were safe and professional.

“These responses seek to safeguard NATO airspace and to support the safety of all air users,” Allied Air Command continued.

Last week, the Biden administration sent additional air deployments to NATO’s main Estonian airbase which patrols the Baltic region. “Six American F-15 jets landed in an Estonian airbase on Wednesday for deployment for a week and a half, as the NATO transatlantic military alliance reinforced its eastern flank due to frictions with Russia over Ukraine,” Reuters reported previously.

NATO late last month announced that additional forces are on “standby” – as a handful of countries sent frigates and fighter jets to eastern Europe amid fears of a Russian incursion into Ukraine, which though being described as “imminent” by the White House (and later walked back), hasn’t materialized.