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NATO fighter jets have already made more than 400 alarm starts this year. As announced by the defense alliance, 350 of the missions were to identify and monitor Russian aircraft.
Russian military aircraft often did not provide any information on their position or altitude, did not submit a flight plan or did not communicate with air traffic controllers, according to NATO. This represents a potential risk for civil aircraft. Compared to 2019, the number of alarm starts due to Russian aircraft has increased slightly.
When an alarm sounds, fighters from NATO countries must be in the air within a few minutes, for example by eye contact to determine if a suspicious aircraft poses a threat. If necessary, this could be stopped by force.
In the vast majority of cases, missions are carried out thanks to Russian aircraft. They are rarely military aircraft from other countries or passenger or cargo aircraft that are not immediately identifiable. In Europe, according to NATO, around 40 radar stations and reporting nodes monitor the airspace. Around 60 NATO aircraft are ready 24 hours a day.
Bundeswehr also participates in preventive measures
The Bundeswehr is also regularly involved in surveillance of Russian aircraft as part of NATO’s increased aerial surveillance in the Baltic states. Up to six German Eurofighter-type fighter jets are currently stationed in Ämari, Estonia. Tighter controls in the Baltic states began in 2014 after the start of the Ukraine conflict, mostly at the request of eastern allies Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
“In recent years we have seen an increase in Russian military aviation activity at the alliance’s borders,” said NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu. Aerial surveillance is an important part of the security concept for alliance states.
A record number of fighter aircraft missions were accomplished in 2016. At that time, 780 missions had been conducted to identify and monitor Russian aircraft from European military bases.
