- i24news
- International
- Europe
- Two Russian bombers intercepted before entering Dutch NATO airspace
Two Russian bombers intercepted before entering Dutch NATO airspace
Danish F-16s were deployed to intercept Russian 'Bears' Tu-95
The Dutch air force said on Monday that two Russian bombers were intercepted over Denmark as they were flying towards Dutch NATO airspace.
According to a spokesperson for the Dutch Royal Airforce, cited by Reuters, planes are intercepted if they do not have a unique identifying code, did not provide a flight plan, and if there is no two-way conversation.
“Two Air Force F-16s took off this morning to intercept 2 Russian bombers. These flew towards Dutch airspace. The deployment of the fighter aircraft involved a so-called Quick Reaction Alert (QRA),” the Dutch Defense Ministry said in a statement.
It added that the Russian “Bears” (Tu-95) were intercepted by the Danes and the bombers have now turned back.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1691000811592011777
This post can't be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking .
“This doesn't happen often, but today's incident demonstrates the importance of rapid deployment. The F-16s are on standby 24 hours a day and can take off within minutes and intercept an unidentified aircraft,” the statement noted.