Two French Air and Space Force Rafale B fighters were scrambled from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania on April 8, 2026, following a NATO Alpha Scramble alert. This marked the French detachment’s first interception since taking over the Baltic Air Policing mission a week earlier.

The crew identified and safely escorted a Russian Ilyushin IL-20 reconnaissance aircraft flying over the southern Baltic region, the French Air and Space Force said. No airspace violation was reported.

The interception took place two days after another Alpha Scramble on April 6, 2026, when Portuguese Air Force F-16s stationed at Ämari Air Base in Estonia were scrambled to identify a Russian Ilyushin IL-76 Candid flying close to NATO airspace. This was the first interception for the Portuguese detachment since it assumed the enhanced Air Policing mission at Ämari on March 31, 2026, taking over from the Italian Air Force.

An Alpha Scramble is a NATO procedure used to intercept an unidentified aircraft that does not pose an immediate threat but still requires visual identification. It differs from a Tango Scramble, which is carried out in response to aircraft considered hostile or potentially hostile.

A familiar target:
The Il-20 is a long-range signals intelligence platform developed from the Soviet-era Il-18 airliner. It is designed to operate near NATO borders while collecting data on radar activity, radio communications, air defence procedures, and the response patterns of quick reaction alert forces.

Russian Il-20 activity over the Baltic has continued in recent months. On March 13, Polish MiG-29s intercepted and escorted an IL-20 over the Baltic Sea after it was detected flying without a flight plan and with its transponder switched off. This was its ninth reconnaissance mission of 2026 in international airspace.