Late yesterday evening, two Eurofighter F-2000 fighter jets from the Italian Air Force's Baltic Thunder III Task Force took off in scramble mode (emergency take-off) as part of NATO's air defense mission on the Alliance's eastern flank, following the violation of Lithuanian airspace by a drone.
Italian crews intercepted the unmanned aircraft, neutralizing it in accordance with the Alliance's operational procedures. The Ministry of Defense reported this, specifying that this is the second incident involving Italian fighters in the space of a month. According to NATO sources, who have initiated investigations, the drone is suspected to be of Russian origin, but further investigations are pending.
The news comes in response to events off the coast of Denmark, where a Russian frigate fired flares at a Danish military helicopter. These two incidents are heightening tensions between NATO countries and Russia.
(Unioneonline)