Russian airmen have filmed a swarm of Belgian, Danish, Polish and Swedish fighter jets flanking a Tu-160 Blackjack bomber and its escort while on routine patrol over the Baltic Sea.
Released by the Defense Ministry on Wednesday, the spectacular footage shows the supersonic Tupolev Tu-160 bomber taking off from an undisclosed airfield and heading for the Baltic airspace.
The bomber and an escort of two Russian fighters were met by a Finnish F-18 and a Swedish JAS-39 Gripen somewhere over neutral waters. Later, several F-16s from the Belgian, Danish and Polish air forces joined in, replacing the Nordic jets.
At several points, the NATO jets went so close that the Russian crews could easily recognize the distinctive roundels and signs painted on them. The Tu-160 safely returned to base with no in-flight accidents reported during the seven-hour mission.
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