The Dutch military just revealed that the Danish Air Force has scrambled fighter jets to intercept two Russian bombers that were headed “toward NATO territory” in the Netherlands.
The Russian bombers were reportedly flying over Denmark and toward airspace monitored by the Netherlands on behalf of NATO, the Dutch Air Force has said.
Dutch F-16s were also scrambled and prepared to intercept the bombers before they could enter NATO airspace.
However, the Russian planes turned around before officially crossing into Dutch territory after Danish jets were sent to intercept them.
A spokesman for the Dutch Royal Airforce said that 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.
He also said that it’s not rare for Russian airplanes to violate a European country’s airspace or approach it.
F-16 kampfly fra @forsvaretdk var til morgen oppe for at identificere to russiske fly i internationalt luftrum over Nordsøen. De russiske fly var på ikke noget tidspunkt inde i dansk luftrum. #dkforsvar #værdatkæmpefor https://t.co/H3bPkp7azg
— Forsvaret (@forsvaretdk) August 14, 2023
The Dutch Air Force stated earlier that it had despatched aircraft in response to a bomber that had encroached on the Dutch area of responsibility in the region.
“The aircraft was intercepted in Danish territory by QRA,” the Dutch update read.
QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) is an alert system used by NATO.
Denmark’s military said it did not yet know which type of aircraft was involved.
However, it also denied the Dutch statement that the bombers had flown over Danish territory.
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