NATO Forced To Repeatedly Scramble Fighter Jets To Intercept Russian Planes
NATO has said its fighter jets were scrambled more than twice as often in July than during the same period last year.
In July 2026, NATO fighter jets were dispatched more than double the number of times compared to the same period in 2025 along the alliance's eastern border. Russian military aircraft repeatedly breached NATO airspace without a flight plan or transponder signal, prompting the alliance's fighter jets to scramble and intercept the intruders.
The transponder, which broadcasts crucial data such as altitude and exact location, was lacking in these instances. In the first half of 2026 alone, Norway's fighter jets intercepted Russian flights on NATO's northeastern flank 62 times, according to Newsweek. This year, Oslo reported a higher frequency of Russian aircraft near its airspace than in any year since 2021.
While it is not uncommon for military aircraft to approach the airspace of other nations, Russia deploying its advanced bombers near NATO borders is often perceived as an intimidation strategy. NATO operates various air policing missions in regions close to Russian territory, including the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Member countries allocate a few fighter jets and pilots to these missions for several months at a time to safeguard NATO airspace. French Rafale jets concluded a four-month tour in Lithuania this week and responded to nearly 40 "Alpha Scrambles," or real-life alerts, as per NATO's Air Command. Romanian fighter jets stationed at the Šiauliai Air Base in northern Lithuania conducted nearly 20 scrambles to intercept approaching alliance aircraft.
Italy will assume the next rotation in Lithuania after finishing a deployment in Romania with British fighter jets, which transferred responsibility for air policing in Romania to Spanish jets at the end of July. Simultaneously, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Russia might attempt a limited attack on a NATO country in the coming years, based on U.S. intelligence assessments.
This could entail an attempt to seize a portion of NATO territory with unidentified troops or execute a cyber assault on a NATO nation, according to the analysis.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
