Russian Fighters Intercepts Norwegian Patrol Aircraft – At least three incidents have taken place this month involving Russian fighters intercepting Norwegian military aircraft.
These interceptions have taken place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in Ukraine.
In a separate incident, a Russian MiG-31 shooed away a Norwegian P-8 on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry.
“To identify an air target and prevent violation of the state border of the Russian Federation, a MiG-31 fighter from the air defense forces of the Northern Fleet was taken to the air. The crew of the Russian fighter jet identified the air target as a P-8 Poseidon base patrol aircraft of the Norwegian Air Force. As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign military aircraft made a U-Turn from the state border of the Russian Federation,” the Russian Defense Ministry statement said.
A Russian Mig-29 intercepted another Norwegian P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in the Barents Sea on Tuesday.
Russian Navy Conducting Exercises in Barents Sea
The Norwegian planes likely were conducting reconnaissance against Russian naval exercises in the Barents Sea that have been underway since August 10.
The Russian navy is believed to have been carrying out missile drills in the area at the time of the interceptions.
The Russian Defense Ministry noted that the frigate Gorshkov launched a hypersonic Ziron missile at a target in the White Sea from a position in the Barents Sea that was several hundred miles away, according to a post on Telegram.
The Russian Northern Fleet had been conducting exercises in the body of water aimed at keeping NATO military assets out of Russian territory, Radio Free Europe reported.
The Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov “practiced a case to repel the actions of a mock intruder vessel” in waters off the Norwegian and Russian coasts in the Arctic Ocean, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. The Russian drills have been taking place since August 10.
“It’s completely undramatic and routine. It was a Russian MiG-29 that was up watching one of our P-8s in international airspace around 10 a.m.,” Norwegian Air Force spokesman Eivind Byre told TV 2. “So far this year, we are on 26 QRA call-outs in international airspace, where 45 Russian aircraft have been identified.”
Byre noted that the mission that was intercepted by the MiG-29 was being undertaken at the behest of NATO.
More Incidents, More Possible Flashpoints
Another incident took place on August 14.
“Russian airspace control systems detected an aerial target flying towards the Russian border over the Barents Sea. A MiG-29 fighter jet of the Northern Fleet’s air defense units on duty was scrambled to identify the aerial target and prevent a violation of the border,” the Russian Defense Ministry said regarding the August 14 incident. “The foreign aircraft turned away from the Russian border as the fighter jet approached. There was no violation of the border.”
One report claims the plane had turned off its transponder.
John Rossomando is a defense and counterterrorism analyst and served as Senior Analyst for Counterterrorism at The Investigative Project on Terrorism for eight years. His work has been featured in numerous publications such as The American Thinker, The National Interest, National Review Online, Daily Wire, Red Alert Politics, CNSNews.com, The Daily Caller, Human Events, Newsmax, The American Spectator, TownHall.com, and Crisis Magazine. He also served as senior managing editor of The Bulletin, a 100,000-circulation daily newspaper in Philadelphia, and received the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors first-place award for his reporting.
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