from or to Kalinigrad Oblast are intercepted, because their pilots
ignore the rules of flying according to the flight plan and with
transponders switched on. In case of such incident, the QRA fighters
are sent to identify the threat and to stay in the air until the aircraft
will leave the area of responsibility. Then QRA pair is returning to
one of the airbases. It should be highlighted, that both sides are not
aggressive and usually such event is "air chess match" without any
consequences. In opposition to the information appearing in the
news – Russian aircraft are not penetrating the airspace of Baltic
states, if such incident happen it takes less than few seconds (that's
common in the area of Estonian islands). In theory, "aggressor"
should be shot down and that's the reason why QRA fighters are
armed with AA missiles but the force escalation and "flag showing"
is part of the game.
www.fragoutmag.com
