On Monday, the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) intercepted two Russian aircraft that were approaching NATO airspace and escorted them back to the border of the Baltic states, the branch of the Armed Forces announced today.
A pair of Portuguese F-16Ms stationed at Siauliai Air Base as part of NATO’s mission in Lithuania intercepted and identified the aircraft, which had come from the Russian Federation, the FAP said in a statement.
“They were accompanied by Portuguese fighter jets to the border of the Baltic states,” he said.
The alert was issued early Monday afternoon by the Combined Air Operations Center in Uedem, when two unidentified aircraft were flying over international waters approaching NATO airspace without a flight plan, the FAP explained.
“The mission was successfully completed, thus demonstrating the high state of readiness and proficiency of the Portuguese detachment,” he added.
The Portuguese NATO mission in Lithuania has four F-16Ms and a contingent of up to 95 Air Force soldiers.