Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens conducted their first joint operational Quick Reaction Alert identification mission over the Gulf of Finland. The aircraft were scrambled to identify Russian military aircraft operating in international airspace.
The mission marks a further step in the operational integration of Finnish and Swedish air-defence and air-policing capabilities following both countries’ accession to NATO.
Source: Swedish Armed Forces; Finnish military reporting; independent specialist aviation and defence reporting.