Belgian fighters intercept Russian bombers over North Sea
Two Russian bombers have been intercepted after flying into Dutch airspace over the North Sea on Monday morning.
Belgium sent two F16 fighter jets from Florennes airbase to head off the Russian Tupolev 160 planes, known as Blackjacks, in response to a request from Nato. The Belgians are currently responsible for defending the airspace of the Benelux nations.
A sonic boom was audible in the north-east of the country when the fighter jets broke the sound barrier over the Waddenzee. They were escorted across the North Sea where they were met by two British Typhoons dispatched from Scotland.
Today, 2 #F16 @BeAirForce successfully intercepted 2 Russian TU-160 Blackjack bombers above the North Sea, within the Dutch area of responsability of #NATO airspace. Due to supersonic flight, the Belgian #F16 were able to complete their mission, guaranteeing your #Security. pic.twitter.com/M1wkqVCBdH
— Belgian Air Force🇧🇪 (@BeAirForce) January 15, 2018
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