Quick Reaction Alert (QRA)
Belgian ‘Vipers’ intercept Russian Su-30s over the Baltic
Belgian F-16AM/BM (MLU) Fighting Falcons were launched from Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, to intercept Russian fighter aircraft over the Baltic Sea on December 6 – within one week of the Belgian Air Force taking over the lead of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission
RAF Typhoons scrambled to intercept Bears over the North Sea
The RAF scrambled Typhoon FGR4s on Quick Reaction Alert duty at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, to intercept two Russian long-range maritime patrol aircraft – comprising a Tu-142MZ Bear-F and a Tu-142MRM Bear-J – as they transited north of the Shetland Islands on August 14
Why Rogachevo Air Base is key to Russian military operations in the Arctic
Alexander Mladenov looks at the prospects of further development of Rogachevo Air Base on Novaya Zemlya archipelago – key to airspace control over the Western sector of the strategically important Northern Sea Route in the frigid High North of Russia
Defending French airspace: Inside Mirage 2000-5 ops from Luxeuil
The Groupe de Chasse 1/2 ‘Cigognes’ has long been a lynchpin in French aviation. Dedicated to air defence missions, the high specialisation of its crews is one of its key assets and more than makes up for the age of their mount, the Dassault Mirage 2000-5F. Giovanni Colla, Daniele Faccioli and Remo Guidi paid the group a visit to find out more
British and German Typhoons to begin integrated NATO Baltic Air Policing missions
In a first for a NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, both the RAF and Luftwaffe (German Air Force) will conduct joint, integrated Air Policing missions over the Baltic region from Ämari Air Base (AB) in Estonia
Romanian MiG-21s scrambled to chase down ‘phantom’ object
A pair of Romanian Air Force Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 LanceR B/C fighters were recently scrambled to intercept a small, unidentified aerial target that had been detected within national airspace at an altitude of approximately 36,000ft over southeast Romania
Inside Bulgaria's growingly obsolescent Air Defence force
We look at the slow and often painful transformation of the Bulgarian Air Force’s air defence assets, while revealing humble plans to field Western-made hardware in the foreseeable future
Fifty-fifty over the Baltics
Hungarian Gripens took part in 50 live scrambles during the 50th rotation of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.