FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – RAF fighter jets intercepted two Russian aircraft near NATO airspace last week, the British Ministry of Defence said Sunday.
Two RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled from Poland’s Malbork Air Base on Tuesday to intercept a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M “Coot-A” intelligence aircraft over the Baltic Sea, the ministry said. On Thursday, another two Typhoons were deployed from the same base to intercept an unidentified aircraft departing Kaliningrad airspace and approaching NATO territory.
The interceptions were the RAF’s first under Operation Chessman, following the recent arrival of British aircraft in eastern Poland to bolster NATO’s eastern flank alongside Sweden.
It also marked the first time Sweden contributed fighter aircraft to another NATO member’s air policing mission since joining the alliance in 2024.
Britain has deployed six Typhoon jets and nearly 200 personnel to support NATO’s air policing operations, according to the ministry.