The Armed Forces has identified more Russian aircrafts off the Norwegian coast than last year
In 2019, Norwegian fighter aircraft identified 83 Russian aircrafts off the Norwegian coast. In 2020, the number has been exceeded already in September, reports Nationen.
This weekend, aircraft number 84 was identified, the Armed Forces’ headquarters (FOH) confirms to the newspaper.
Major Brynjar Stordal states that it happened during emergency number 41, as part of NATO’s emergency preparedness (QRA).
“It is not new that planes like this embark on long journeys in our immediate areas, but it is not very common that they have cruises that last so long and travel so far west and south”, Stordal writes in an email to Nationen.
Last year, the defense had to move out at short notice 38 times against Russian aircrafts along the Norwegian coast. The planes in question this weekend were two strategic bombers of the type TU-142. The aircraft was identified by Norwegian F-16s from Bodø, which were routinely in international airspace over the sea areas west of Norway.
Stordal points out that this is something Russia has every right to do, as long as they stay in the international airspace.
Although the number of calls and identifications is higher than last year, it is still far fewer than in 2018, when 57 so-called scrambles and 100 identifications were made, according to Nationen.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
