In the airspace of Lithuania, radars detected an American E-8C radar reconnaissance aircraft, Wirtualna Polska reports. Commenting on the situation, Polish General Stanislav Kozei did not see anything sensational in it and called it a military routine of relations between Russia and NATO, as well as an element of the new Cold war.
Aviation radars recorded the appearance of an American E-8C reconnaissance aircraft in the airspace of Lithuania. General Stanislaw Koziej (Stanisław Koziej) notes in an interview with "Virtual Poland" that such operations are carried out as part of the exercises.
"This type of NATO (and not only NATO) aircraft perform flights, both as part of real reconnaissance missions and training. In recent years, we have seen them more and more often, which is a sign of the intensification of a new cold war between Russia and the West (the United States and NATO)," the expert points out.
"Both sides, both the Russian Federation and the Alliance, arrange such flights along their borders, often it comes to incidents in the form of airspace violations. For example, Russian cars deliberately enter the airspace over the Baltic Sea, then NATO lifts its planes into the air to intercept and drive them away. The Russians are using the situation to assess the effectiveness and tactics of the Alliance's air defense. After a while, he does the same. There is nothing sensational in such situations, it is rather the military routine of relations between Russia and NATO," the general explains.
"Such activity is not the only element of the new Cold war. Both sides act in a similar way. They carry out reconnaissance and training flights, demonstrate their capabilities, practice the use of aviation means of delivering nuclear weapons, and so on. At the same time, they use the incidents that occur in their information and disinformation operations, influence the public, exert strategic pressure on the enemy," says Kozey. "Unfortunately, we live in the conditions of a "new cold war" between the West and Russia, and such events should be viewed in this context," the general adds.
What do we know about the American E-8C aircraft?
Boeing E-8C Joint STARS is a radar reconnaissance and strike control aircraft, as indicated by the abbreviation used in the name (STARS stands for "joint surveillance and target attack radar system"). This is a joint development of the US Army and Air Forces: in 1982, they combined the projects they had started earlier. Such vehicles are designed to track ground targets, helicopters and low-flying short-range air support aircraft.
