German fighters intercepted Russian Il-20 over the Baltic Sea
Russian intelligence IL-20 over the Baltic Sea came too close to the German island of Rügen. Therefore, it had to be intercepted by Eurofighter fighters.
These German army aircraft were forced to prevent the Russians from violating the country's airspace. Channel 24 reports this with reference to Bild.
Why this step was forced
The Russian Il, after crossing a vast territory of international airspace, flew in a direct course to the German island. When the order was given to identify the Russian aircraft, two Eurofighters were alerted.
They approached the Russian Air Force aircraft and offered to escort it into international airspace. The aircraft of the aggressor country turned around only after that.
The location of the island where the IL-20 was flying/Picture of Bild
Bild journalists talked about this with a military expert. He noted that the fighters really needed to be lifted into the sky, because usually “the Russians don't get that close.”
What is known about the Eurofighter aircraft
These are fourth-generation multirole fighters. At first they were designed as air superiority fighters. However, later modernized and the aircraft provided for the possibility of attacking ground targets.
Eurofighter is in service in several countries:
- Great Britain;
- Germany;
- Italy;
- Spain;
- Austria;
- Saudi Arabia.
According to data from open sources, in 2007 each German fighter of this model cost the country 120 million euros. This amount included delivery, staff training and maintenance.
Recent curiosity in Russian aviation
On May 1, it became known about an incident in the Trans-Baikal Territory of Russia. There, the Mi-8 helicopter was landing, but suddenly fell.
It is known that at least one person died. However, data on the number of injured vary. There could have been 5 or 6 of them. In total, 15 people were on board at the time of the accident.
The Russian authorities have not yet named the cause of this incident. It should be noted that this is the third helicopter that the aggressor country lost on its territory after February 24.
