The Finnish and Swedish air forces jointly intercepted Russian military aircraft for the first time and performed missions in the Finnish Gulf international airspace

A Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet flew in the international airspace of the Gulf of Finland on the 24th and approached a Russian military aircraft to confirm its identity. On that day, the Finnish and Swedish air forces jointly carried out an interception and identification mission for the first time. (Reuters)

On the 24th, the Finnish and Swedish air forces jointly performed a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) identification mission for the first time in the international airspace of the Gulf of Finland, sending F/A-18 Hornet and JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets respectively into the air to intercept and identify a Russian military aircraft formation.

Russian MiG-31 fighter jets flew in the international airspace of the Gulf of Finland on September 24. (Picture taken from Finnish Air Force page)

The European defense industry website "Defence Industry Europe" reported on the 25th that this was the first time that the Finnish and Swedish air forces jointly performed a joint air identification mission, and the operation was directed by the Finnish Air Force Operations Center. Information released by the Swedish Armed Forces on the same day also confirmed that Finnish QRA fighter jets intercepted and identified Russian aircraft in the international airspace of the Gulf of Finland, and the Finnish Air Force released a video of the relevant mission.

The intercepted Russian detachment included a Tu-134 transport aircraft, as well as MiG-31 and Su-30 fighter jets. The Russian formation was operating in international airspace at the time, and the Finnish-Swiss fighter jets were performing interception and identification missions, which did not involve Russian aircraft entering Finnish or Swedish airspace.

"Defence Industry Europe" quoted Colonel Vesa Mäntylä, deputy chief of staff of the Finnish Air Force Command, as saying that the deepened cooperation launched this autumn will allow the two countries to perform joint identification missions and allow QRA fighters to use each other's air bases when necessary. Fighters of the two countries are still mainly deployed at their respective bases in peacetime, and their deployment locations and response times are adjusted based on mission requirements and security situations.

Major General Jonas Wikman, commander of the Swedish Air Force, said that the two sides have established mutual trust and continued cooperation over the years and are now able to operate smoothly together. The air forces of Finland and Sweden have conducted cross-border training almost every week in the past few years. In recent years, the cooperation has been expanded to the "Nordic Air Power" structure, working with Norway and Denmark to improve interoperability.

The Finnish and Swedish air forces also continue to coordinate regional missions with NATO's Baltic Air Vigilance Detachment. The Swedish Armed Forces stated that deepening cooperation can strengthen the security of Northern Europe and NATO's eastern flank, and improve the interoperability of the two air forces in peacetime, emergencies and other emergencies.