On the morning of Monday, July 15, a Royal Air Force (RAF) RC-135W aircraft took off from RAF Waddington Base in England and flew through the airspace of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, conducting a parallel flight along Russia’s Arctic coastline near the Murmansk region. The flight concluded by approaching Russia’s Arctic shores via the Barents Sea. The aircraft returned to England at 18:38 the same day.
On the same day, a United States Air Force (USAF) RC-135V intelligence aircraft also departed from Mildenhall Base and flew through the airspace of Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, conducting surveillance for several hours around Russia’s Kaliningrad region. The total flight time was reported to have reached seven hours.
It was emphasised that both flights were carried out in international airspace and did not violate Russian airspace.
Over 30 Personnel, Advanced Intelligence Equipment
Developed by Boeing, RC-135 aircraft have the capability to collect electronic and signal intelligence, and can carry more than 30 crew members. Among the crew are intelligence operators and electronic warfare specialists.
Newsweek Analysis: “NATO Conducting Strategic Surveillance on Russia’s Eastern Borders”
In its article titled “NATO Spy Planes Encircle Russia,” Newsweek noted that such flights have become systematic surveillance operations in Russia’s western border regions. The report stated that these movements could increase security risks in areas Russia refers to as a “NATO lake” and highlighted the rising likelihood that Moscow may adopt hybrid countermeasures in response to these activities.
