Czech jets see first action in Baltic

Czech pilots who began protecting Baltic airspace within NATO earlier this month were used in action for the first time on Thursday. Their Czech Gripen Jas-39 jets were scrambled after a German civilian plane violated the no-fly border area between Lithuania and Russia. The jets were ordered to monitor the aircraft closely after the craft failed to respond on an emergency frequency. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own fighter planes; the Czech Gripens will patrol the airspace over the Baltic countries for four months.

Author: Jan Velinger