The Netherlands and Denmark deployed F-16 fighter jets Monday as two Russian bombers approached NATO airspace over the North Sea. The Russian planes turned back after being identified and never left international airspace.
(Bloomberg) — The Netherlands and Denmark deployed F-16 fighter jets Monday as two Russian bombers approached NATO airspace over the North Sea. The Russian planes turned back after being identified and never left international airspace.
The two Dutch F-16 jets took off and were prepared to guard the Netherlands’ area of responsibility following an alert at 7:19 a.m. local time, according to a statement from the government. “This doesn’t happen often, but today’s incident demonstrates the importance of rapid deployment,” according to the statement.
The Danish government also deployed its own F-16s to identify the planes, but the Russians remained in international airspace, according to a spokesperson for the Danish Defense Command. The Dutch F-16s were airborne and flying in a holding pattern, said a spokesperson for the defense ministry in The Hague.
The Netherlands and Belgium alternate monitoring the airspace of the Benelux region, with the Dutch air force having been in charge since mid-April. The Dutch combat command is in contact with the Combined Air Operation Center in Uedem, Germany, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters for airspace surveillance in Northeast Europe.
–With assistance from Sanne Wass.
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