2023-06-09 15:00:54
The United Kingdom Air Force reported on Thursday that they have intercepted two Russian aircraft that were near Swedish airspace along with Swedish military planes. In the operation, London has deployed Typhoon and Stockholm type fighters, Gripen type aircraft, which were on a NATO Baltic air surveillance mission.
According to the Royal Air Force (RAF), the British Air Force, Russian aircraft –an IL20 reconnaissance aircraft and an Su-27 fighter– did not meet international standards and did not communicate with the relevant authorities. “However, they remained in international airspace and flew professionally,” they have indicated, while explaining that it is “a routine interception.”
The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly stated that the flights of Russian military aircraft are carried out in strict accordance with international regulations for the use of airspace, reports the TASS news agency.
This is not the first time that such an episode has occurred in the context of the war in Ukraine. In March, four Russian warplanes (two Russian SU 27 and two SU 24) violated Swedish airspace and the Air Force was forced to carry out an operation with the deployment of Gripen fighters, in an action described by Stockholm as “unprofessional and irresponsible on the part of Russia”.
He JAS 39 Gripen it is a fourth-generation fighter that became Sweden’s first truly multi-role combat aircraft and is capable of interception, attack and reconnaissance tasks. So far, the Swedish forces have 74 units of this fighter. It is a Mach 2 delta wing canard fighter jet powered by a Volvo turbofan engine with afterburning. With a range of up to 3,200 kilometers, it can fly at an altitude of 15,240 meters.
He Eurofighter TyphoonFor its part, it was conceived to provide various European air forces with an air defense fighter that was superior in all aspects to the latest generation of Soviet warplanes of the time. At nearly 55 feet in length and with a takeoff weight of nearly 50,000 pounds, the Eurofighter is a twin-engine, delta-wing, air superiority, ground-attack fighter-bomber designed and built by a group of European companies.
With information from Europa Press
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