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 region following reports of potential sabotage to undersea infrastructure.
This action comes after a telecom cable between Sweden and Estonia was damaged, coinciding with earlier damage to a Finnish-Estonian pipeline and cable, with Russian and Chinese vessels identified near the latter incident.
NATO emphasizes its commitment to monitoring the situation, adapting its maritime posture, and ensuring the safety of allies and protection of critical infrastructure in the region.

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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.