Belgian jets assigned to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission intercepted Russian fighters as they conducted low passes over a US Navy destroyer on 17 April 2020.
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The Belgian F-16 Fighting Falcon multi-role fighters launched from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, where the Baltic Air Policing mission is headquartered. They then intercepted the Russian aircraft – two Su-24 Fencer attack jets, one Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter and one Su-30 Flanker-C multi-role fighter – over the USS Donald Cook, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer manoeuvring in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Lithuania. The F-16s conducted the intercept in a safe and professional manner. Air policing is a peacetime activity conducted 365 days a year over Alliance territory. Intercepts can be triggered when air traffic – civilian or military – does not respond to hails from air traffic controllers. This NATO Multimedia footage, released today, includes GoPro and helmet shots of Russian jets flying over the USS Donald Cook [DDG-75].
