NATO Ramps Up Maritime Air Patrols in Baltic Sea

The move follows the damaging of a telecom cable connecting Sweden and Estonia.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, October 20, 2023 at 01:02 PM ET

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NATO Boeing E-3A AWACS [Courtesy: NATO]

Key Takeaways:

NATO has significantly increased surveillance and reconnaissance flights in the Baltic Sea following reports of possible sabotage to undersea infrastructure.
This heightened vigilance comes after damage to a Finnish-Estonian pipeline/cable and a Swedish-Estonian telecom cable; Russian-flagged and Chinese vessels were identified operating near one incident, though no firm conclusions on causation have been made.
The additional patrols, utilizing assets like AWACS aircraft and drones, underscore NATO's commitment to protecting critical infrastructure and its allies, rather than signifying an increased military threat.

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NATO has ramped up surveillance and reconnaissance flights in the Baltic Sea region following reports of possible sabotage of undersea infrastructure.

Those additional flights include maritime air patrols, NATO airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, and drones, the military alliance said. NATO’s fleet of AWACS aircraft are distinctive with their radar dome mounted on the Boeing E-3A fuselage, offering air surveillance, command and control, battle space management, and communications capabilities. A fleet of 14 AWACS aircraft is based at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany.