AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch F-35 fighter jets intercepted three Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Friday and escorted them at a distance over international waters to the border of the NATO area of responsibility, the Dutch defence ministry said on Monday.
Since December, Dutch F-35s have been patrolling NATO’s eastern border. As part of this effort, the quick reaction alert (QRA) is activated, deploying two F-35s from Estonia to intercept any unidentified aircraft approaching NATO airspace.
“This is why our people are there: to protect our collective airspace against Russian threats,” Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Monday. “As was once again evident on Friday, Russian forces are active in all sorts of ways near NATO airspace.”
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Alex Richardson and Bernadette Baum)
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