Finland and Sweden flew fighter jets together for the first time to meet a Russian air group

For the first time, Finland and Sweden jointly scrambled standby fighters to intercept and identify a Russian military air group over the Gulf of Finland. The operation took place on September 24 and became the first joint operational mission of this kind for the air forces of two northern European countries.

As reported Swedish Armed ForcesFinnish troops took part in the operation F/A-18 Hornet and Swedish JAS 39 Gripenwho were on combat duty in Quick Reaction Alert mode.

The fighters were scrambled to identify the Russian air group, which included:

• transport plane Tu-134;
• interceptor fighters MiG-31;
• multi-role fighters Su-30.

Russian planes were in international airspace over the Gulf of Finland. Neither Finland nor Sweden reported any violation of their national airspace.

????⚔️?? Finland and Sweden intercept Russian jets together for the first time

On Sept. 24, Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Swedish JAS 39 Gripens on Quick Reaction Alert were scrambled to intercept and identify a Russian detachment over the Gulf of Finland: a Tu-134 transport,… pic.twitter.com/MiGEBOAsmH

— ??The Informant (@theinformant_x) September 28, 2026

The operation was led by the Air Operations Center of the Finnish Air Force.

First joint mission of its kind

The Swedish military calls what happened first joint operational air target identification missionconducted by the Finnish and Swedish Air Forces.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Finnish Air Force Command, Colonel Vesa Mäntylä, noted that the in-depth cooperation between the two countries, which began in the fall, now allows not only to conduct joint identification missions, but also to use fighters of one country from the air bases of the other.

Swedish Air Force commander Major General Jonas Wikman said the operation showed how closely the two countries were now able to operate together.

Why is this important

Until 2022, Finland and Sweden had maintained a policy of military non-alignment for decades.

After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, both countries applied to join NATO. Finland became a member of the alliance in 2023, Sweden – in 2024.

Since then, their armed forces have noticeably increased joint patrols and cooperation in the Baltic region.

Reuters emphasizes that what happened was the first time that two countries jointly carried out such an operation against a Russian military air group over the Gulf of Finland.

There was no airspace violation

This is a fundamental point: we are not talking about stopping an intrusion into the airspace of Finland or Sweden, but about the usual procedure for military aviation interception, visual tracking and identification aircraft operating in international airspace.

Such QRA sorties are carried out when it is necessary to determine the type, identity and route of aircraft, especially if they are operating near national borders or areas of high military attention.

The Baltic is becoming a zone of increasingly tight air control

After NATO’s expansion to Finland and Sweden, the airspace around the Baltic Sea came under much closer surveillance by alliance forces.

Swedish Gripens and Finnish Hornets regularly take off to escort Russian aircraft, but these activities are now increasingly carried out jointly.

In June 2026, Swedish JAS 39 Gripen had already taken off twice to meet Russian Su-24 and Su-34 over the Baltic Sea. There was no violation of Swedish airspace then either.

Photos of the operation

The armed forces of Sweden and Finland published photographs of the Russian air group taken during the mission.

The photographs show Russian Su-30as well as other aircraft of the group, accompanied by Finnish and Swedish fighters.

Official message and photos published Swedish Armed Forces.

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