Apair of Italian Air Force F-35 fighters forward deployed to Amari Air Base in Estonia were reported on August 28 to have intercepted one of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ small number of An-124 strategic transports, which are by far the largest transport aircraft fielded outside the United States.
The 32nd and 6th Wings at Amari Air Base are currently operating as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, as the South European state has played a disproportionate role in bolstering Western Bloc air power both in Eastern Europe and in the Pacific.
The interception highlights the sustained tensions surrounding the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which is geographically surrounded by NATO territories placing any air, sea or land traffic between it and the Russian mainland at risk of being targeted by Western Bloc forces.
The incident follows an encounter two weeks prior between an Italian F-35 and Russian Su-27 and Su-24M fighters in the region.
American Buddhist Net 