The Alliance trains aviation and air defense forces near the borders of the Kaliningrad region
During the recent training of NATO aircraft in the Baltic region, elements were worked out, among other things, to block the Kaliningrad region, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. Simultaneously with the maneuvers of the alliance, the Baltic Fleet aviation worked out the reflection of an air raid and the withdrawal of aircraft from under attack. And in the coming days, exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance air defense forces will be held near the border with the Kaliningrad region.
Aviation and air defense
NATO forces are increasing their activity in the Baltic region. From July 7 to 19, maneuvers of the Baltic Connection-24 Alliance air defense forces (BALTCON24) will take place near the border with the Kaliningrad region. To do this, the Patriot air defense system of the Dutch Air Force (Air Force) was transferred to Lithuania. In addition to them, air defense units of the Lithuanian Air Force, armed with NASAMS air defense systems, Spanish and Portuguese fighters will be involved in the exercises.
On July 3, the NATO press service reported on the alliance's aviation exercises held in the north-east of Poland in the last days of June. Four Spanish F/A-18 aircraft carrying out a mission in Lithuania have teamed up with pilots from the Italian Eurofighter detachment operating in Poland "to carry out defensive and offensive flights in northeastern Poland," the NATO website reported. Eight fighters conducted training to protect important facilities from attacks within the framework of the integrated air defense and missile defense system of the alliance. As reported, the Polish control and reporting center controlled fighter flights and refueling of aircraft in the country's airspace, and supervised the maneuvers of the NATO Northern Joint Air Operations Center in Udem, Germany.
F/A-18 aircraft
Image source: Photo: REUTERS/Philipp Schmidli
— Any exercises are working out some scenarios of future military operations, — military expert Colonel Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia. — One of the scenarios that Poland dreams of all the time, and the United States and NATO support it in this regard, is the blocking of the Kaliningrad region and suffocating it with hunger. Therefore, Poland, in cooperation with other Baltic countries, is constantly working on this scenario. Naturally, we must keep this in mind and understand how we will repel this threat.
At the same time, NATO countries are putting pressure on Belarus, the expert added and recalled that an American division is concentrated on the border with it in Poland.
— The Poles continue to put pressure on Belarus and Russia, trying to demonstrate that they are the most militarily powerful state in Europe, that they are ready to take revenge and regain western Belarusian lands and Western Ukrainian lands. The idea of revenge has never gone away from the Poles," concluded Viktor Litovkin.
The ex-commander of the 4th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense, Hero of Russia Valery Gorbenko, also believes that during the maneuvers of NATO aviation, elements were worked out that are necessary to block the Kaliningrad exclave. According to him, there is no doubt that the exercises are directed against Russia.
NASAMS Air defense system
Image source: Photo: TASS/ABACA
— Now they are threatening in all sorts of ways. Therefore, they practiced actions, taking into account our air defense system, taking into account our VKS. And, apparently, given what is happening in Ukraine, they are closely monitoring this. The threat does exist, especially in these very tense times. We need to be ready for anything," Valery Gorbenko told Izvestia.
Responding to threats
Against this background, the naval aviation of the Baltic Fleet conducted an exercise, during which they worked out the withdrawal of aircraft from under attack by a conditional enemy and repelled an air attack. According to the press service of the fleet, about 15 aircraft were involved in flights in the airspace over the Kaliningrad region and on the ground.
"The flight tactical exercise of the naval aviation of the fleet took place in several stages. At the first stage, the flight technical staff of the aviation regiment was alerted and fulfilled the tasks of equipping front-line Su-24 bombers, Su-30SM and Su-30SM2 multi-purpose fighters with sets of rocket and cannon weapons," the press service said.
At the same time, the regiment's on-duty forces urgently took to the sky to ensure the defense of airfields and the withdrawal of the main forces of the compound from the air strike.
The Su-30SM multi-purpose fighters conducted an air battle with a simulated enemy, the role of which was performed by the crews of Su-24 bombers.
Su-24 aircraft
Image source: Photo: TASS/Sergey Malgavko
After repelling the air raid, the pilots relocated to the operational airfields of the region. At the next stage, the crews of Su-24 bombers and Su-30SM and Su-30SM2 multirole fighters were to carry out missile and bomb attacks on surface and coastal targets at the fleet's training grounds.
In recent years, the Baltic region has become a place of increasing activity of the North Atlantic Alliance. In early June, the largest naval exercises of the NATO countries Baltops 24 began there. This year, 9 thousand military personnel, 80 aircraft and 50 ships from 20 countries took part in them. For comparison, in 2022 there were 14 countries, 4,000 military personnel and 40 warships. Over the past two years, Finland and Sweden, which joined NATO, have also been added to the number of participating countries.
The Nordic Response exercises, which took place from early to mid-March in Norway, Sweden and Finland, have also become the largest in recent years. This is an integral part of the largest NATO exercise Steadfast Defender 2024, which took place throughout Europe from early February to the end of May. More than 20,000 soldiers, 100 aircraft and helicopters and over 50 ships and vessels took part in the Nordic Response.
Roman Kretsul
Ladimir Matveev
