NATO Scrambles Turkish Jets Over Possible Drone Incursion Into Estonia

Two Turkish F-16s took off from Estonia after unidentified drones crossed into the country’s airspace, prompting alerts across much of the eastern half of the Baltic state.

NATO sources said the fighters launched from Ämari air base because several unmanned aerial systems might enter Estonia from the direction of the Russian border. The alliance had not confirmed the drones’ nationality or whether they caused damage. The F-16s did not engage them.

The episode began with air alerts in eastern Latvia. Latvian armed forces issued a yellow alert around 2 a.m. local time for the Ludza district, followed by a more serious orange alert in Alūksne, where residents were told to take shelter indoors behind at least two walls. Both alerts ended within an hour.

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In relation to the air incursion that occurred overnight in Estonia, two Turkish F-16s took off from Ämari, within the framework of NATO air defense in the Baltic states, because of the possibility that several unmanned aerial systems from the Russian border could make an incursion.

The drone or drones near Alūksne later entered Estonian airspace, triggering alerts that lasted until about 5:30 a.m. Estonia’s Strategic Communications Department chief, Colonel Uku Arold, said the airspace violation led to the deployment of the Turkish NATO fighters from Ämari.

The incident adds to a series of drone episodes in the Baltic states in recent months. The most serious occurred on May 7, when two unmanned aircraft struck an empty oil-storage facility in Latvia’s eastern town of Rēzekne. On Aug. 14, a NATO fighter shot down a drone over Latvia, following an earlier interception by a French NATO aircraft in early June.

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There is still no confirmation of the nationality of the drones or of possible damage.