No hesitation: Hungarians capture Russian aircraft on their first mission

Less than a week after assuming command of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, Hungarian Air Force Gripen fighter jets were scrambled for their first real alert. During the 8 August 2025 mission, they intercepted Russian aircraft over the Baltic Sea that had violated international aviation regulations.

Without radio contact or flight plan

The Hungarian JAS–39 Gripens launched from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania at 11:26 local time, intercepting the targets at an altitude of 11,000 meters, according to Hungary’s Ministry of Defence. The unidentified aircraft had no radio communication with air traffic control, no filed flight plan, and were not transmitting any transponder signals. Due to these infractions, NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre in Germany issued an Alpha Alert.

• Hungarian Gripens intercepted multiple Russian jets in the Baltic airspace

After completing the intercept and identification, the Gripens returned to base. The Ministry of Defence’s official statement confirmed the aircraft were Russian, although Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky only referred to them as “unidentified aircraft” in a Facebook post.