Photo: © Sergej Bobylev, TASS
Flight routes for Russia’s Su-30s over Baltic Sea in November and December were pre-agreed, Russian Defense Ministry says
MOSCOW, January 6. /TASS/. The flights of Russia’s Su-30SM fighter jets over the Baltic Sea on November 23 and December 13, 2017, were held in accordance with the international air space management rules and their routes were coordinated with air traffic control authorities, the Russian Defense Ministry press service said on Saturday.
“On November 23 and December 13, 2017, the crews of Russia’s Su-30SM fighter aircraft performed scheduled training missions over the Baltic Sea’s neutral waters. The flight route for the Russian fighter aircraft was coordinated with the air traffic control authorities and carried out in strict compliance with the international air space management rules without violating the borders of other states,” the report says.
The ministry also confirmed that NATO’s F-15s approached the Su-30SMs during the training missions. “During the training missions, NATO’s F-15 planes approached the Russian fighter aircraft at a safe distance, after which they altered their course and withdrew,” the Defense Ministry specified.
On Friday, the Pentagon released a video recording of US aircraft following two Russia’s Su-30 fighter aircraft in the international air space near the Baltic region on November 23 and December 13 last year. The command explained that the decision was prompted, among other things, by the absence of pre-agreed flight plans for the Russian aviation.
The 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, executes safe and standard intercepts while participating in the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission. Intercepts are a regular occurrence, and U.S. Air Force pilots routinely conduct them in a safe and professional manner. The U.S. Air Force will complete its fifth rotation as the lead nation for Baltic Air Policing on Jan. 8, 2018.
[00:00] Video Courtesy of NATO TV / Luca Fazzuolli
U.S. Air Force F-15 pilots scramble during an exercise during the Baltic Regional Training Event at Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, April 1, 2014. U.S. Air Force pilots work side-by-side with European allies and partners training to meet future security challenges.
Full video can be found at: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/326461/baltic-regional-air-training-b-roll
[01:39] Video Courtesy of 48th Fighter Wing
U.S. Air Force F-15s from RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, intercept two Russian Navy SU-30 Flankers in international airspace near the Baltics, Nov. 23, 2017. The intercept was initiated because the Russian aircraft did not broadcast the appropriate codes required by air traffic control and had no flight plan on file. The U.S. Air Force deployed Airmen and aircraft from RAF Lakenheath to Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, for approximately four months to conduct the NATO peacetime air policing mission.
[02:01] Video Courtesy of 48th Fighter Wing
Two Russian Navy SU-30 Flankers are intercepted in international airspace near the Baltics, Dec. 13, 2017. The intercept was initiated because the Russian aircraft did not broadcast the appropriate codes required by air traffic control and had no flight plan on file. Pilots from the 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron executed the intercept professionally and operated in international airspace in accordance with all relevant international flight regulations and safety standards.
[02:44] Video Courtesy of 48th Fighter Wing / Staff Sgt. Taylor West
Lt. Col. Cody Blake, 493rd Fighter Squadron commander, provides answers to questions on intercepts and the Baltic Air Policing mission, Jan. 3, 2018.
Full video can be found at: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/578714/intercept-interviews-and-baltic-air-policing-b-roll-stringer
