British Typhoon Jets Intercept Russian Warplanes Three Times Over Baltic Over Past Week

Over the past week, British Typhoon fighter jets, deployed under NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, were scrambled three times to identify and escort Russian aircraft.

This was reported by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in an official statement on April 20.

On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, RAF Typhoon jets based in Malbork were scrambled twice by NATO. The first scramble was to intercept and identify an Ilyushin Il-20M as it exited Kaliningrad  airspace.

Later that same day, the Typhoons were again deployed to intercept two Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft, also departing from Kaliningrad. Known by the NATO reporting name FLANKER-H, the Su-30MKI is a two-seat air superiority fighter.

On Thursday, April 17, 2025, two RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled for the third time in as many days to intercept and identify an aircraft approaching NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea. The aircraft was identified as an Ilyushin Il-20M, a communications and electronic signals intelligence reconnaissance plane, designated by NATO as “Coot-A.”

On March 27, Russian reconnaissance aircraft entered NATO airspace without an active transponder signal. German fighter jets from Laage Air Base intercepted the aircraft and escorted it until it turned back toward Kaliningrad.

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