On 20 April, over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, Russian long-range Tu-22M3 bombers carried out a scheduled flight escorted by fighter aircraft, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported. To monitor the situation, crews of French Rafale combat aircraft were scrambled into the air.
According to open sources, a group of two Tu-22M3 missile carriers took to the air, one of which was carrying an Kh-22 missile, along with Su-30SM and Su-35 escort fighters. In total, the group comprised about 10 aircraft.
The French pilots used TALIOS targeting pods for visual identification of the targets. The footage of the Russian aircraft that spread online was obtained using these electro-optical systems.
The Russian Ministry of Defence emphasized that the flight was carried out in strict compliance with international rules for the use of airspace.
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