Russian Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft violated Polish airspace
A Su-24MR frontline reconnaissance aircraft, which took off from the Kaliningrad region, entered Polish airspace at 14:09, penetrating 6.5 km into the eastern part of the Gulf of Gdansk. The aircraft was in the Polish sky for 1 minute and 12 seconds.
Here's What We Know
Radar stations of the Polish army recorded its movement in real time, and airspace surveillance services kept in touch with the Russian side. The Russians explained the violation as a "navigation system failure".
It is possible that the incident was deliberate and part of radar reconnaissance or provocation. The Su-24MR could have been carrying a SRS-14 Tangazh container designed to detect radar sources, which would have allowed the Russians to obtain information about the operation of Polish radars.
Informujemy, że w dniu 11 lutego 2025 roku o godz. 14.09 we wschodniej części Zatoki Gdańskiej doszło do naruszenia przestrzeni powietrznej nad wodami terytorialnymi RP przez samolot Su-24MR Sił Zbrojnych Federacji Rosyjskiej.
- Dowództwo Operacyjne (@DowOperSZ) 11 February 2025
Samolot, który wykonywał lot z Obwodu... pic.twitter.com/Y0dVv9fT4r
Russian Su-24MRs regularly approach NATO airspace over the Baltic Sea. For example, on 8 December, F-35A fighters of the Royal Netherlands Air Force intercepted Russian Su-24MR, An-72 and Il-20.
Last June, a Russian reconnaissance aircraft violated Swedish airspace near the island of Gotland. It ignored warnings, after which Swedish JAS-39 Gripen jets forced it to leave the country's airspace.
Source: X
