MISSION IN ESTONIA: ITALIAN EUROFIGHTERS SCRAMBLE

Italian Typhoons on a mission in Estonia with two female pilots at the controls intercepted an aircraft that was not adhering to Estonian air traffic control procedures. In recent days, two Italian Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an aircraft that was not complying with communication and identification procedures with Estonian authorities for air traffic control.
The two aircraft from the Task Force Air36th WingThey took off from Ämari military airport and, within minutes, intercepted the aircraft – later revealed to be an An-26 “Curl” transport plane – which was crossing Baltic airspace without proper identification.
This is the ninth real interception – scramble – by Italian Eurofighters, made even more particular by the fact that for the first time, since the Italian Armed Forces have been deployed in Estonia, both pilots were female officers of our Air Force.
The “scramble” is the operational activity consisting of rapidly activating a pair of fighter aircraft to intercept and identify an unknown aircraft that is violating Alliance airspace, or is not properly identifying itself to air traffic control, in order to ensure the safety of the skies from any potential or eventual threat.
The 36th Wing Task Force, consisting of two Eurofighter aircraft from Gioia del Colle Air Base (BA) and two from the 4th Wing of Grosseto, is deployed at Ämari Airport, a few kilometres from Tallinn, until May. Operation Baltic Eagle is, in fact, a continuation of the missions already carried out by the Italian Air Force in Iceland, Bulgaria, and the Baltic States, although it is the first time in Estonia.
In 2004, with the accession of the Baltic States and Bulgaria to the Atlantic Alliance, the airspaces of those countries became an integral part of the Euro-Atlantic airspace and, as such, were included in NATO's air and missile defence system. This system also includes the activity ofAir Policing, which consists of continuous aerial surveillance aimed at ensuring the integrity and security of the airspace ofNATO.