Polish F‑16s intercept Russian Il‑20 over Baltic Sea
The Operational Command reported on Monday, August 12, the interception of a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft, which was carrying out a reconnaissance mission over the Baltic Sea, by a pair of standby Polish F-16 fighter jets.
The armed forces of the Russian Federation regularly conduct flights over the waters of the Baltic Sea and other areas. Recently, French Mirage 2000 fighters responded to a similar incident in March by intercepting two Russian Su-30Ms. NATO aircraft also approached an Antonov An-72 transport aircraft, which was moving in international airspace north of Poland, accompanied by the Su-30.
Polish F-16s intercept Russian Il-20
The situation is repeating itself as the Operational Command noted on platform X. A pair of standby Polish F-16 fighter jets identified and then intercepted the Russian Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft on Monday, August 12. The published communiqué mentioned that the intelligence aircraft of the Russian Federation was carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace. However, there was no violation of Polish territorial waters.
"Every day pilots of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland are vigilant and ready to ensure the protection of Polish skies," added the Operational Command on X. It should be noted that NATO aircraft regularly appear near the Baltic Sea, including recently Polish Saab 340 AEW&C early warning aircraft.
The aforementioned Il-20, targeted for interception by the Polish F-16s, is a repeatedly identified intelligence aircraft near our country. It was developed based on the passenger Ilyushin Il-18D, but numerous modifications were made to meet military requirements.
Russian reconnaissance aircraft
The USSR authorities commissioned the construction of such an aircraft to conduct reconnaissance from a safe distance. The Il-20 allows for electronic reconnaissance, including detecting and intercepting communication sources. Additionally, the Russian aircraft is capable of collecting imaging information. Thanks to these capabilities, allied units can determine with high accuracy the location of ground systems belonging to a potential adversary.
The pair of standby F-16s was dispatched toward the Baltic Sea to intercept the Il-20, equipped with AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles (low observability ammunition with a range of nearly 400 kilometres). The fighters can reach speeds of Mach 2, which is over 2,000 kilometres per hour, and can operate at altitudes exceeding 15,000 metres.
In the standard variant, they can cover 3,200 kilometres on a single tank of fuel, while with additional fuel tanks this number increases to 4,200 kilometres. In addition to the mentioned AGM-158 missiles, the F-16s are equipped with the standard M61 Vulcan 20mm aircraft gun.
