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French Rafales Scramble Repeatedly to Intercept Russian Su-30SM Near NATO Airspace
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French Rafale fighter jets deployed to Lithuania carried out multiple interceptions of Russian military aircraft near NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea, including a Su-30SM fighter.
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According to Defence Blog on April 16, citing a statement from France’s Armed Forces General Staff, Rafales were scrambled four times within a single week as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission. During these sorties, French crews identified and escorted six Russian aircraft operating close to the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
The intercepts were conducted from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, where France is currently leading a rotation of NATO’s air policing effort. Video released by the French military shows Rafale jets tracking a Russian Il-20M electronic intelligence aircraft alongside a Su-30SM fighter.
📍Lituanie | Poursuite de la Mission Baltic Air Policing 🛡️
— Armée française - Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) April 15, 2026
✅ En une semaine 4 interventions des Rafale 🇫🇷 en coordination avec nos alliés
⚔️ Identification et accompagnement de 6 avions 🇷🇺dans le cadre de la protection de l'espace aérien des états baltes 🇱🇹, 🇱🇻 🇪🇪
🎯… pic.twitter.com/2sTQq1qVGY
According to Defence Blog, the Il-20M is a signals intelligence platform designed to collect radar emissions and communications data, making it a regular target for NATO monitoring operations near allied borders. Open-source analysts reported that the aircraft may have been equipped with Kh-31P or Kh-31PM anti-radiation missiles, which are typically used to engage radar and air defense systems.
French aircraft involved in the mission reportedly used Thales TALIOS targeting pods during the interceptions. While primarily designed for strike missions, the system enables long-range visual identification of aircraft and external payloads, allowing pilots to assess potential threats from a safer distance.
The operations were carried out in coordination with other NATO forces assigned to Baltic Air Policing, a mission established in 2004 after the Baltic states joined the alliance without their own fighter aircraft.
According to Defence Blog, France assumed the current rotation at the end of March, deploying four Rafale jets and approximately 100 personnel to maintain continuous quick reaction alert coverage in the region.
Earlier, the United Kingdom scrambled two RAF Typhoon fighter jets under Quick Reaction Alert after detecting a radar track assessed as a possible Russian strategic bomber approaching its northern air defense zone. The aircraft remained outside UK airspace, and the mission concluded without a visual interception.
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