Two Italian Air Force Eurofighters were scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania on Thursday, 17 September, after two Russian military aircraft violated Lithuanian airspace.
The two F-2000 Typhoons, belonging to the Italian Air Force’s Task Force Air “Baltic Thunder III”, were launched in the late afternoon as part of NATO’s air defence mission on the Alliance’s eastern flank. The operation was coordinated by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) at Uedem, Germany. The Russian aircraft were subsequently escorted out of NATO airspace, according to Italian media reports.
Italy currently operates four Eurofighter Typhoons from Šiauliai as part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission, covering the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The current Italian deployment began on 31 July under the “Baltic Thunder III” task force. The Italian Eurofighters have already been scrambled several times since the start of the deployment, including on 3 August to intercept two Russian military aircraft operating in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.
The latest incident comes only days after two Italian Eurofighters were scrambled during a separate overnight incident involving a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace. Lithuanian authorities said the drone was subsequently neutralised and its wreckage was found in the country.