Two Russian Tu-160 bombers flew Monday all along the Norwegian coast and down to the UK and the Netherlands.
Two British Typhoon fighters were sent from the Lossiemouth base in Scotland at 10:26. A few hours later, two Belgian F-16 were sent from the Florennes base south of the country, according to Aldmer.no.
The Defense Operational Headquarters (FOH) confirms the incident and explains why Norwegian fighters did not fly.
Lieutenant Colonel and Spokesman Ivar Moen states that extreme winds prevented the Norwegian F-16 from taking flight. Wind speed was measured at 50-60 knots from Finnmark in the north to the south of Stadt. In addition to strong winds, according to FOH, there was a demanding wind direction. It was therefore considered inappropriate to send F-16 on the flight.
The Russian planes were not followed by fighters, but radar gave a picture of where they were, explains FOH’s spokesman.
“The Russian planes were followed along the coast by other types of sensors. There were no indications or signs that the Russian planes would fly into Norwegian airspace, nor have they violated Norwegian airspace,” writes FOH in an email.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
