British fighter jets intercept number of Russian warplanes

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets deployed in Poland were scrambled twice in three days to intercept Russian aircraft operating near NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence.

On Thursday, 5 June 2025, two RAF Typhoon FGR4 aircraft were launched from the 22nd Tactical Air Base in Malbork, Poland, after NATO air command detected an unidentified aircraft departing from Kaliningrad airspace.

The sortie was conducted under Operation CHESSMAN, the UK’s contribution to NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission.

The aircraft were tasked with identifying and shadowing an An-30, a Soviet-era aerial photography aircraft known by its NATO reporting name CLANK. Once visual identification was confirmed, the Typhoons conducted a standard shadowing procedure to ensure the safety of surrounding air traffic.

Following the initial interception, NATO retasked the pair to identify a second aircraft operating in the same area. This second contact was confirmed as an Ilyushin Il-20M, designated COOT A by NATO. The Il-20M is a long-serving Russian surveillance aircraft used for communications and electronic intelligence. It was similarly shadowed before the Typhoons were cleared to return to base.

The aircrew involved were from No. II (Army Co-operation) Squadron, operating under 140 Expeditionary Air Wing, which is currently responsible for conducting Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties in the region.

An RAF spokesperson explained the legal and operational basis for the intercepts: “NATO instructed us to scramble, intercept and identify an unknown aircraft transiting close to NATO airspace. It was not communicating, SQUAWKing, nor did it file a flight plan. All aircraft must do at least two of the three in accordance with international law. Neither aircraft were complying with international law, therefore NATO can legally scramble aircraft to intercept.”

They added: “Once intercepted and identified, we shadowed the aircraft to protect civilian air traffic in the immediate area. This is common practice—as without SQUAWKing or communicating, civilian aircraft and air traffic controllers cannot be confident in the non-communicating aircraft’s movements.”

The incident marks the second scramble within three days for RAF personnel deployed at Malbork. Operation CHESSMAN continues to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to NATO’s Baltic air policing mission.

Personnel from across the RAF are deployed under 140 EAW alongside forces from other NATO nations, including Sweden, the alliance’s newest member.