THE HAGUE, December 9. /TASS/. Two Dutch F-35 fighter jets stationed in Estonia were scrambled twice to identify and escort Russian planes over the Baltic Sea, the Dutch Defense Ministry said in a news release.
According to the ministry, the fighter jets flew the rapid response missions on December 6. During one sortie, an Antonov military transport plane and a Sukhoi reconnaissance plane were identified and escorted over international waters to the border of NATO’s area of responsibility. During the other sortie an Ilyushin reconnaissance aircraft.
Four Dutch fighter jets have been stationed in Estonia as part of the NATO mission since December 1. Their main task is to monitor the alliance's airspace over Eastern Europe.