The NATO plane staged a chase for Shoigu in the sky over the Baltic. NATO plane chased Shoigu in the sky over the Baltic
Another incident in the airspace of the Baltic Sea, this time personally touched Sergei Shoigu. The NATO F-16 fighter tried to approach the transport board, on which the Russian Minister of Defense was at that moment. Even Russian escort fighters had to intervene in this process.
NATO F-16 fighter to the aircraft of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“Our fighter quite transparently hinted to the“ partner in the fight against terrorism ”that you don’t need to approach this car”
The minister's liner, flying to Kaliningrad, was accompanied by an escort of Su-27 naval aviation fighters. NATO planes, among which was the F-16, also tried to follow the minister. The incident was not limited to this, and the F-16 went to rendezvous with Shoigu's side. However, a Su-27 fighter stood in its way, which showed its armament to the aircraft of the alliance by swinging its wings. After that, the F-16 fighter retired. Through the porthole, a video of the approach of the F-16 was filmed from Shoigu's plane.
Shoigu himself, commenting on what happened, noted: "The situation that is developing at our western borders is." “This is due to the increased military activity of NATO countries in Eastern Europe,” the Minister of Defense stated.
The Minister pointed out: the North Atlantic Alliance is increasing its presence in the Baltic countries, strengthening and developing their military facilities, such as seaports, airfields, etc., ostensibly to protect against Russia.
The F-16 maneuver has already been commented on in the State Duma. This is a completely abnormal phenomenon, especially in relation to an official state person of such a rank. This is a provocation,” said State Duma deputy Colonel General Hero of the Soviet Union Nikolai Antoshkin, who was quoted by TASS. The parliamentarian stressed that there had never been such cases, “when the Minister of Defense was flying, he was accompanied by a NATO fighter”. He noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense "will send appropriate notes on this issue."
"The Su-27 made a transparent hint - you should not approach"
“The NATO Air Force fighter was performing a routine combat training task of reconnaissance and identification of an aircraft,” Army General Pyotr Deinekin, former Air Force Commander-in-Chief Hero of Russia, explained to the VZGLYAD newspaper.
“I am sure that this pilot did not know that the Russian Minister of Defense was flying on a transport plane as a passenger,” the interlocutor emphasized. “As for the actions of our fighter, he quite transparently hinted to his “partner in the fight against terrorism” that this machine should not be approached, but one should behave respectfully,” Deinekin said.
Regarding the existence of any instructions in this regard, he noted: “You cannot write instructions for all cases. And in a particular episode, the pilot acted with dignity. And in his place, I would have done the same. “And if I were in my place, I would encourage him,” added the former commander-in-chief of the Air Force.
The Su-27 acted in a standard manner, said Vasily Kashin, an expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, in a commentary to the VZGLYAD newspaper.
“The aircraft provided security for a high-ranking official,” the military expert said. “He showed that he keeps the situation under control in case the other side suddenly tries to act provocatively in some way, for example, trying to get too close to our transport aircraft.”
“The Baltic is a zone where it is very tense now, patrols are constantly carried out, the parties are watching each other,” he added. According to the military expert, such incidents should continue to be expected.
Not the first dangerous encounter
The number of incidents with NATO aircraft has increased dramatically in recent years. Just on Tuesday, the media reported that the Su-27 was forced to take off to intercept an American RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. The RC-135 made a dangerous turn towards the Su-27. The Russian plane reacted to it and in response approached the American liner at a distance of up to one and a half meters. The Su-27 continued to follow the RC-135 until it began to move away from the Russian border.
In the United States, such actions were called unsafe. In response, the Ministry of Defense recalled that it was the RC-135 that was the first to perform a provocative turn, so the Su-27 pilot was forced to respond.
On June 6, a Russian Su-27 fighter was again forced to intercept and escort a US Air Force B-52 strategic bomber flying along the Russian border over the waters of the Baltic.
MOSCOW, June 22 - RIA Novosti. The fighter jets that escorted the plane of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the Baltic the day before belonged to the Polish Air Force. According to the Polish military, the F-16s rose to intercept after the alarm.
What happened
The incident occurred when Shoigu's plane was flying to the Kaliningrad region. The minister's aircraft followed with an escort of Su-27 naval aviation fighters.
One of the NATO planes tried to approach Shoigu, but a Su-27 stood between him and the Russian liner. The fighter "showed" its weapons to the F-16 pilots by swinging its wings, after which it flew away.
The alliance took similar measures during the minister's flight from Kaliningrad to Moscow. True, in this case, the fighters followed at a considerable distance from the Russian aircraft, without trying to get closer.
Position of Warsaw
The fact that the fighters were Polish was first reported by radio station RMF FM. Later, these data were confirmed by the operational command of the Polish Armed Forces.
The Polish Air Force constantly patrols the sky over the Baltic countries, which do not have their own combat aircraft. On Tuesday, the military received an alarm "in connection with Russian vehicles," notes RMF FM.
In this regard, our F-16s flew into the Baltic Sea, where they intercepted three targets: an unarmed Tu-154 and two Su-27s armed with air-to-air missiles.
NATO position
NATO confirmed the fact of the interception of Russian aircraft the day before. At the same time, the alliance noted that they did not know who was on board the liner.
“When any unknown aircraft approaches NATO airspace, the national air forces and NATO take to the skies to track these flights. Our actions were standard. Usually, when NATO aircraft intercept an aircraft, they visually identify it, all the while maintaining a safe distance,” said representative of the military bloc.
"This is standard procedure, all of our pilots are behaving in a safe and responsible manner," he added.
The alliance also accused Russia of stepping up air force flights over the Baltic Sea last week.
"They included strategic bombers, fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, transport and other aircraft," the NATO spokesman said.
At the same time, the alliance has no claims against the pilots themselves.
"We assess the behavior of Russian pilots as safe and professional," the NATO official said.
Who is the master in the sky
Commenting on the incident with the Shoigu plane, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science and Sociology of the Russian University of Economics. Plekhanov, military political scientist Alexander Perendzhiev said that the alliance wanted to show that it was NATO that was the "master" in the skies over the Baltic.
“This is not just a show of force on the part of NATO, but I would say that this is some kind of attempt to intimidate our military leadership. The alliance is trying to show who is the “master” in the airspace over the Baltic,” the expert said on Sputnik radio.
According to him, NATO's activity near the Russian borders is constantly growing.
"The eastern flank of NATO has recently been strengthening significantly. After all, if you look at the situation after 2013, from the well-known events in Ukraine, not only exercises began to be conducted, but as a result of these exercises, an entire military infrastructure began to line up along our borders, and after each exercise this infrastructure is being built up. That is, in this case we are talking about concrete pressure on Russia, and pressure is almost constant. If earlier we could say that NATO members are simply training near our borders, now these exercises are becoming more and more threatening," - says a military political scientist.
"Escort" for Shoigu
The current incident is not the first time that NATO aircraft have followed the movements of the Russian defense minister. A similar incident occurred at the end of March last year - then Eurofighter fighters escorted Shoigu, who also flew to the Kaliningrad region.
Expert: F-16 rapprochement with Shoigu plane is an unfriendly signalA NATO fighter plane tried to approach the plane of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu over the Baltic. Military expert Boris Rozhin on Sputnik radio expressed the opinion that such incidents show that the US and NATO are not interested in normalizing relations with Russia.At that time, combat aircraft did not approach the plane of the head of the Ministry of Defense, following him at a distance of two kilometers.
Later, NATO explained the actions of their pilots by the fact that the Su-27s accompanying the ministerial Tu-154 did not get in touch.
"NATO radars detected three aircraft over the international waters of the Baltic Sea: two Russian Su-27 fighters and a Tu-154 transport aircraft. The Su-27 fighters did not provide a flight plan, did not contact controllers and did not use transponders," RIA Novosti said. alliance representative.
NATO Air Force F-16 combat fighter tried to approach the board of the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu in the sky over the neutral waters of the Baltic, but he was "driven away" by the Su-27 of the Russian Aerospace Forces. In fact, the NATO pilot could be trying to repeat the maneuver of his Russian colleague, who on June 20 got close to one and a half meters with the US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, a military expert told the correspondent of the Federal News Agency Alexey Leonkov.
It is reported that an aircraft of the North Atlantic Alliance tried to escort Shoigu's plane when he was on a working visit to Kaliningrad. The special board, in which the minister was located, followed with an escort of several Su-27 naval aviation fighters. During the rendezvous between the F-16 and the minister's aircraft, a Su-27 wedged in, which, swinging its wings, showed its weapons to the NATO interceptor. After such a "hint", the Alliance pilot had to hurriedly turn off course and retreat.
“When a combat fighter accompanies a combat aircraft or a reconnaissance aircraft, this is a normal world practice, but no one knows when the D-day will come and when the combat aircraft can use its weapons. Such a tradition has developed between the pilots of the United States and Russia, and other countries as well, for a long time - they accompany our Tu-160 missile carriers, Tu-95 bombers, and we intercept their reconnaissance aircraft. But the problem is that Sergei Shoigu was flying not on a combat aircraft, but on a civilian one, which is part of the well-known “223rd Flight Detachment”, and therefore the F-16 rapprochement looks somehow ridiculous, ”the military analyst explains the situation.
The expert recalls that information about the flight of the Minister of Defense, its route and echelon is known to everyone, because not ordinary passengers are flying, but the second person after the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Therefore, when an alien fighter flies very close and demonstrates its intentions, it makes you think.
“Imagine for a moment - the US Secretary of Defense is flying James Mattis, and then a Russian fighter flies up to his plane and begins to approach. What will happen? Of course, there will be a lot of shouting and yelling about the unprofessionalism of the Russian pilot. And the Americans will now try to justify themselves by the fact that the Su-27 showed that very unprofessionalism, although this is weakly drawn to justification. The Su-27 pilot took all the necessary steps to ensure that Sergei Shoigu's plane was safe. Everything was professional,” Alexey Leonkov continues.
In addition, the expert paid special attention to the “swinging of the wings”.
“Swinging wings is a long-standing unspoken tradition between pilots from different countries. Thus, they show that their aircraft are also armed and can fight back. This is a warning on the verge of decency, but this is only possible between combat aircraft. In no case can a combat aircraft demonstrate weapons suspended under its wings to civilian aircraft, ”says the speaker of the FAN.
The military analyst is sure that the incident itself was provoked by the desire of a NATO pilot to repeat the maneuver of a Russian colleague, who on June 20, while escorting a US Air Force RC-135, approached a reconnaissance at a distance of 5 feet (approximately 1.5 meters).
“The F-16 pilot tried to show that NATO also knows how to meticulously control the most complex military equipment at high altitude and at high speeds. Only the problem is that he was not allowed to complete a dangerous maneuver. The feint, roughly speaking, did not work out thanks to the professional actions of our VKS. But the life of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation could really be in danger, ”concluded Leonkov.
Recall that in Kaliningrad, Sergei Shoigu is holding an off-site meeting of the board of the military department, dedicated to security issues in the western strategic direction. According to the minister, NATO is increasing the intensity of operational and combat training near the Russian borders, which demonstrates the reluctance of Western partners to abandon the anti-Russian course.
The day before, a Russian Su-27 was rising to intercept an American RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The ministry emphasized that all flights of Russian fighters over the neutral waters of the Baltic are carried out in strict accordance with international rules.
An American F-16 fighter attempted to approach the plane carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
This incident was recorded during a flight over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. Shoigu and his entourage flew to Kaliningrad for an off-site meeting of the collegium of the Ministry of Defense, dedicated to ensuring security in the western strategic direction.
It is reported that an escort Su-27 aircraft got in the way of the NATO fighter, forcing the F-16 to move aside. The American pilot retired after the Su-27 "demonstrated weapons" by swinging its wings.
Recall that the Russian Defense Ministry is constantly talking about the fact that NATO planes are trying to conduct reconnaissance near the borders of Russian airspace.
The press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the latest incident, asked the military of the Ministry of Defense whether Vladimir Putin had been informed about the incident. A similar incident occurred just the other day, when a Russian Su-27 approached an RC-135 at a distance of up to one and a half meters.
The Americans called this behavior provocative and unsafe, in response to which the Russian Defense Ministry said that the RC-135 was the first to turn towards the Russian fighter. Thus, the Russian pilot acted strictly within the instructions, providing escort for the RC-135 until it stopped moving towards the Russian border.
Earlier, journalist Dmitry Smirnov published in his Facebook a video showing the interception of a civilian aircraft by two Swiss Air Force fighters. Not so long ago, two F-18 fighters with ammunition approached a Russian civilian airliner. “The pilot was delighted that they were filming him, waved his hand and gracefully went up. But then he returned,” Smirnov said.
It should be noted that at the time of the interception, journalists, the Russian delegation at the APEC summit, and the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Alexander Fomin were on board the liner. The fighter approached so close to the side that its number J-5024 became visible.
And in November, the plane with the Russian delegation on board, flying to Peru for the APEC summit, was accompanied by a pair of fighters with the Swiss flag. The Russian media wrote about this, expressing bewilderment at the actions of the Swiss pilots. On the plane were journalists from the Kremlin pool and employees of the presidential protocol service.
In the sky over Switzerland, military aircraft first accompanied the liner from the left wing, then from the right wing, after which they swerved sharply and went to the side. Before the maneuver, the F-18 pilot waved to the civilian airliner. On this occasion, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the country sent a note to the Swiss Foreign Ministry, in which it asked for clarification "in connection with the incident with the Russian government aircraft in the sky over the Confederation."
There have already been cases with Swiss pilots before - in 2015, the F-18 fighter was already intercepting a liner with Russian parliamentarians flying to Geneva for a session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Then the Swiss authorities refused to apologize for the interception, calling the rapprochement between the fighter jet and State Duma deputies "routine patrolling of the airspace." Today, such incidents have themselves become something of a prosaic.
"The plane of the head of the Russian Defense Ministry flew over the neutral waters of the Baltic with an escort of Su-27 naval aviation fighters. Eurofoghter Typhoon fighters were flying two kilometers from them. It is reported that they did not approach the ministerial board," the media wrote in 2016.
"When one of the NATO planes made an attempt to approach the Russian side of Shoigu, a Su-27 fighter escorted between them stood up. He turned so that the F-16 pilot saw a suspended missile weapon. After that, the NATO plane left the flight zone, "- experts write.
“The Russian Ministry of Defense began to attach armed escort to the sides of its leadership just after such “interceptions,” they add.