GOV/MIL F-35s face Russian fighters in the skies over the Baltic states

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Richard

TB Fanatic
bulgarianmilitary.com

F-35s face Russian fighters in the skies over the Baltic states

This first deployment of fifth-generation aircraft shows how NATO's air force is adapting to the mission, using modern technology for sustainable missions
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F-35s face Russian fighters in the skies over the Baltic states
By TOC On May 3, 2021

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FRANCE, (BM) – In September 2020, Aeronautica Militare [Italian Air Force] deployed four Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets in Siauliai [Lithuania] as part of NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltic Sea.
In the last eight months, the Italian team has flown about 900 flight hours and about 40 alpha scramble flights to intercept and identify aircraft – primarily Russian – approaching Baltic Sea airspace.

This Italian mission, called “Baltic Thunder,” ended on April 30 with the surrender of a Spanish squad, also equipped with four Eurofighter Typhoons.
However, Aeronautica Militare will continue to be involved in the Baltic Sea Air Police Mission. It has just taken over from the Luftwaffe [German Air Force, note], which has sent six Eurofighter EF2000s to Amari, Estonia. But with one peculiarity, as the German planes were relieved by four F-35As of 13 ° Gruppo [squadron] of 32 ° Stormo [squadron], usually based in Amendola [southern Italy].
However, this is the first time that the F-35A will carry out air police missions to benefit the Baltic States. “This first deployment of fifth-generation aircraft shows how NATO’s air force is adapting to the mission, using modern technology for sustainable missions,” welcomed NATO’s Allied Air Command [AAC].
However, in September 2019, as part of an Icelandic air police mission, Aeronautica Militaire deployed six F-35As in Keflavik [Iceland] to protect Icelandic airspace there for several weeks. And so it became the first air force to engage this type of aircraft in a NATO mission and did it again back in May 2020.
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During this second term, 13 ° Grupo aircraft had to conduct only one “alpha skirmish” to intercept, at the request of NATO air operations control [CAOC, based in Uedem, Germany], a formation of three Russian naval patrols. Tu-142 aircraft.

But things will be different in the Baltic region, as seen by Eurofighter’s transalpine activities in Lithuania over the past eight months. In addition, for this type of mission, the Italian F-35A will use radar reflectors and amplifiers RCS [Radar Cross Section], and the stealth is of no use to the celestial police. But there is no doubt that Russia’s capabilities in electromagnetic intelligence will be on the alert.
However, this is not the first time the F-35A has taken to the Estonian skies. In 2017, planes from the 34th Fighter Squadron of the US Air Force paid a short visit to Amari as part of a European “tour.”
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Zagdid

Zagdid

Veteran Member
Richard said:
In addition, for this type of mission, the Italian F-35A will use radar reflectors and amplifiers RCS [Radar Cross Section], and the stealth is of no use to the celestial police.
Click to expand...
I had a lot of trouble making sense out of this sentence.
 
T

tanstaafl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Zagdid said:
I had a lot of trouble making sense out of this sentence.
Click to expand...

Presumably the term "celestial police" refers to the "good guys" being the world's police in the sky, which by logical extension means anyone else up there (like the Russians) will automatically be the "bad guys." Got to get that propaganda narrative started off on the right foot, doncha know. Of course, that kind of propaganda narrative assumes everyone is an idiot with, for example, no memory of how NATO acted in the Balkans.
 
Zagdid

Zagdid

Veteran Member
(file under - chasing planes with propellers)

Italian Air Force Identifies Russian An-12 Off Estonia In First Ever Intercept By F-35 Supporting NATO BAP - The Aviationist

Italian Air Force Identifies Russian An-12 Off Estonia In First Ever Intercept By F-35 Supporting NATO BAP
May 16, 2021 F-35, Italian Air Force, Military Aviation, Russia

The Italian F-35 jets deployed to Estonia, scored their first intercept under NATO command in the Baltic region.
On May 14, 2021, the Italian Air Force F-35 aircraft deployed to Ämari Air Base, Estonia, to support NATO’s Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission, were scrambled and executed their first intercept.

“The Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem, Germany, recorded an unidentified track in the Baltic Sea flying from mainland Russia to Kaliningrad and ordered an alert scramble for the F-35s mission to identify that track. Upon take-off, the Italian NATO aircraft approached and identified a Russian An-12 transport aircraft executing the first ever intercept by an F-35 under NATO orders in the Baltic Sea,” NATO Allied Air Command said in a public statement.

300px-Antonov_An-12BK%2C_Russia_-_Air_Force_AN1879625.jpg
Iceland_28-135_9908.jpg


“The Russian military transport plane was flying over international waters close to the Estonian coast; it was not on a flight plan and not sending a transponder signal causing a potential risk to other airspace users. Upon completing the identification, the Italian fighter aircraft returned to Ämari Air Base.”

The Italian F-35A involved in the intercept belong to the 13° Gruppo (Squadron) of the 32° Stormo (Wing), from Amendola Air Base, in southeastern Italy, the first unit of the Aeronautica Militare to receive the Lightning in 2016 and the first in Europe to achieve IOC (Initial Operational Capability) in November 2018.

The Italian F-35A jets carry out the QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) service in the same configuration used to support the domestic SSSA (Servizio Sorveglianza Spazio Aereo – Air Space Surveillance Service) on a rotational basis, where the SCL (Standard Conventional Load) includes two AIM-120C AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) missiles in the internal weapons bay.

The Italian jets have arrived in Estonia, on Apr. 30, 2021, marking both the first time the Italian stealth jets deploy to the Baltic and the first time 5th generation aircraft support NATO’s mission in the Baltic States. On May 3, the Italian detachment officially took over the augmenting role in NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission from the German Air Force Eurofighter detachment, starting providing QRA duties.

Under NATO command, the Italian F-35s will remain in Estonia until August, supporting “Baltic Eagle II” (as the mission has been dubbed at national level), operating within the Task Group Falco of the Task Force Air Estonia. The F-35s will then be replaced by the Italian Typhoons: in other words, Italy will support NATO BAP in Estonia until the end of 2021.

“The integration of the F-35 advanced capabilities demonstrates how the Allies bring their cutting-edge technology and support NATO’s enduring defensive mission in the region,” said Brigadier General Andrew Hansen, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at Allied Air Command, said in a public release. “The mission in the Baltics epitomises NATO cohesion and solidarity; at Ämari, the deployed Allied fighter detachments have enabled us at AIRCOM to flexibly conduct the mission and at the same time assure the Baltic populations of NATO’s commitment,” General Hansen added.

Although it’s the first time they operate from Estonia, the Italian Air Force F-35A jets have already supported NATO Air Policing mission in Iceland twice: the first time was in 2019, the second in 2020, when the Italian Lightnings scrambled for the first time to intercept a formation of three Russian Tu-142s. As happened back then, no official photo of the intercepted Russian aircraft has been released. Actually, unlike the majority of the other allies, Italy rarely releases images of the “zombies” (as the targets of the intercept mission are called in fighter pilot lingo) taken by the Italian pilots during their QRA launches in support of NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing missions around Europe.

OIP.ZpdvFnCfGYRfzLFE_3HTsQHaE8
(TU-142)
 
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