NATO Baltic air-policing scrambles rise 18% amid regional signal activity

Allied fighters based in Estonia and Lithuania conducted additional intercept sorties this week after unidentified aircraft approached controlled sectors without filing flight plans. NATO's integrated air command said most incidents ended without escalation, but the pace of alerts has climbed compared with the same period last year.

Defence ministers from several frontline states asked for streamlined intelligence feeds between national radars and the alliance operations centre. Civilian aviation regulators emphasised that commercial corridors remain open and that safety protocols for passenger jets were not affected.

Analysts in Warsaw said the pattern fits a broader strategy of testing response times rather than preparing immediate strikes. WOP360 will track a scheduled allied exercise meant to rehearse rapid scramble coordination later this month.