The Portuguese Air Force (FAP) intercepted two Russian aircraft approaching NATO airspace on Monday and escorted them back to the Baltic border, the service said on Tuesday.
A pair of Portuguese F-16Ms, located at the Siauliai airbase as part of the NATO mission in Lithuania, intercepted and identified an aircraft arriving from the Russian Federation, the FAP noted in the note.
“They were escorted by Portuguese fighters to the border of the Baltic countries,” he emphasized.
The alert was issued early Monday morning by the Udema Joint Air Operations Center when two unidentified aircraft were flying over international waters and approaching NATO airspace without a flight plan, the FAP explained.
“The mission was completed successfully, which demonstrated the high degree of readiness and combat readiness of the Portuguese detachment,” he also emphasized.
The Portuguese NATO mission in Lithuania has four F-16Ms and up to 95 air force personnel.