For the first time as a NATO member, Swedish JAS-39 Gripen jets were launched under NATO arrangements to safeguard the skies over the Baltic Sea flying with German and Belgian quick reaction alert aircraft. In the morning of March 11, Swedish Gripen jets joined NATO to visually identify a Russian Tu-134 that was not on flight plan.
Swedish Air Force (SwAF) Saab Gripen combat aircraft intercepted Russian aircraft for the first time since the country joined NATO the day before. According to the Air Force, two B-1 Lancers from Ellsworth Air Force Base joined up with Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighters Feb. 26 and in the Arctic and Baltic Sea regions, training for surface attack, air interdiction, and close air support scenarios.
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Later in the day, another track of a Russian An-26 showed on NATO’s radar screens and the CAOC alerted the German Quick Reaction Alert Interceptors at Lielvarde to launch and establish further details of the track. The Swedish JAS-39 Gripen jets were also launched and both Allies conducted a visual identification of a Russian military aircraft type An-26 and escorted the plane.
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“Swedish Gripen fighter[s] prove they’re already integrated [in NATO], with their intercept today of a Russian An-26 and Tu-134 together with Belgian air force F-16[s] and German Air Force Eurofighters currently on [the NATO] air policing mission in the Baltics,” NATO Allied Air Command said, adding, “Across NATO the Swedish flag has been raised in honor of being the 32nd member of the alliance.”
Both Sweden and Finland are strategically located in Northern Europe. Joining NATO is a momentous step for Sweden, which has steadfastly avoided alignment over 200 years. But Sweden is not exactly a stranger to its new NATO allies, having regularly engaged in military exercises with NATO members and allies in recent years. Events such as the Arctic Challenge, a large-scale multinational training focused on air operations in the Arctic region, have previously seen U.S. aircraft, including bombers, training and operating with Swedish aircraft.
Swedish Gripen Jets Joined NATO, reporting by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): © SAAB