Just hours after an American MQ-9 “Reaper” drone was forced down over the Black Sea, a pair of NATO fighters, one from the U.K. and one from Germany, scrambled to intercept two Russian aircraft that were approaching Estonian airspace unannounced. The two fighters intercepted a Russian IL-78 Midas refueling aircraft and an Antonov 148 military transport which were flying close to Estonia’s border, a NATO member since 2004. James Heappey, U.K. Armed Forces minister said, “This joint UK and German deployment in the Baltics clearly demonstrates our collective resolve to challenge any potential threat to NATO’s borders, whilst demonstrating our combined strength.”
