This incident happened last week. It was perceived as a provocation by the Russian Air Force against NATO. Though an air attack was avoided, a political response was impossible to avoid. To learn how it happened, keep reading.
When and where?
The situation happened on May 5, on Friday. These days, a planned operation Frontex took place. It was conducted by the EU Agency for external border security. The operation involved patrolling the airspace by the Polish border guard in cooperation with Romania.
Who was attacked?
The Polish L410 TURBOLET twin-engine aircraft was on patrol when an accident occurred over the Black Sea in international airspace. The incident happened about 60 km away from the border with Romania.
What did the attack look like?
The attack was carried out by SU-35, a fourth-generation fighter. Its main features are maneuverability and multi-functionality. During the attack, the fighter executed a very dangerous maneuver by flying in front of the nose of L410 TURBOLET at a dangerously close distance of about 5 meters. This maneuver was repeated three times, posing a high risk of collision due to the speed of both planes.
The main danger
The Polish Turbolet L-410 experienced turbulence caused by a nearby flight, leading to a loss of control and a decrease in altitude. However, the skilled Polish military pilots were able to regain control of the Turbolet L-410 and raise it to a safe altitude, making a successful landing. It was at the airport in Romania, located 26 km from Constanta. Fortunately, all crewmembers remained unharmed. The landing took place at 13:50.
Military threat
Patrolling, as always, was monitored by NATO surveillance systems, so the following combat aircraft were put on alert:
– 2 – from the Air Force of Romania;
– 2 – from the Air Force of Spain.
They are part of the combat service of the air police. The order to bring to readiness was given by the Combined Air Operations Centre of NATO, which is located in Torrejon (Spain). However, no intervention was required.
Reaction
Polish politicians reacted the earliest. They are sure that this was a planned action of a provocative nature. This is the third such action by the Russian Federation in the last month.
The previous two were as follows:
– Early April: two Russian SU-27s were detected over Romanian airspace under NATO responsibility. They managed to be pushed out by F-16 fighters.
– End of April: 3 military aircraft of the Russian Air Force were intercepted by NATO in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.
Experts note that Russia is acting more and more arrogantly and aggressively. So far, there has been no response to these provocations, but the situation is becoming increasingly tense.
