Poland, NATO Air Policing: another scramble for a pair of Eurofighters of TFA “White Eagle”

New immediate takeoff, in technical jargon Scramble, for the Eurofighter of the’Italian Air Force Italians engaged in activities of Air Policing in Poland. A pair of fighter interceptor aircraft deployed to Krolewo Airport in Malbork scrambled yesterday afternoon to intercept four Russian fighter jets which, despite flying over international waters, had entered airspace under Polish and Swedish jurisdiction – the Flight Information Region of the two countries – and represented a threat to the borders of the Atlantic Alliance. The intervention of Italian fighter jets caused the Russian aircraft to return to Kaliningrad airspace.

 

In the first two months of operations in Poland, the Eurofighter aircraft of Task Force Air “White Eagle” they've already carried out 15 activations on alarm, for a total of almost 40 flying hours during the activities of Scramble real ordered by Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany, the control body of NATO whose task is to monitor all radar tracks of suspicious aircraft approaching or attempting to enter the airspace protected by the Atlantic Alliance without proper authorisation.

 

The pilots of the Task Force Air In recent months, on alert, they have intercepted numerous Russian military aircraft engaged in activities outside the Kaliningrad border in international waters: fighters such as the Sukhoi 24 Fencer, Sukhoi 27 and 30 Flanker, but also other types such as the Ilyushin-20. All aircraft engaged in activities, deemed by the NATO, potentially dangerous for the member countries of the Atlantic Alliance.

 

In recent weeks, activity has intensified significantly; in just seven days, the TFA was scrambled on immediate alert eight times, placing considerable strain on all personnel involved in various capacities, from the crews in flight to all the staff employed in the management and maintenance of aircraft, data analysis, and combat service support.

 

In total, to date, the Task Force Air carried out 275 flying hours, of which almost 210 hours in operational activities.