Russia Sends Spy Plane Over Baltic With Transponders Off—NATO Responds With German Typhoons

NATO scrambled two German Eurofighter jets to intercept a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft flying over international waters in the Baltic Sea, Deutsche Welle reported on August 26.

The Russian plane was operating without an active transponder and had filed no flight plan, prompting NATO command to order the interception. The German fighters took off from the Rostock-Laage air base.

According to German media, this marks the tenth time since the beginning of the year that the Luftwaffe has been dispatched on short notice in response to Russian aircraft activity over the Baltic.

Tensions in the region have been mounting in recent months amid incidents of espionage and suspected sabotage. Russian reconnaissance planes, often departing from Kaliningrad, have repeatedly flown near NATO airspace to gather intelligence on military activity in Poland, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden.

The intercepted aircraft, known by NATO as the “Coot,” is a Cold War–era Il-20 designed for signals and radar reconnaissance.

Despite being developed in the late 1960s, the aircraft remains in service with Russia’s Aerospace Forces, equipped with side-looking radar, cameras, and electronic intelligence gear.

Crewed by up to 13 personnel, the Il-20 continues to be used for long-range surveillance missions—including patrols along NATO borders.

Earlier, US F-16 fighter jets intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft operating inside the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

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