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NATO has scrambled fighter jets for the third consecutive day following yet another Russian aircraft straying into alliance airspace.
The defence alliance was compelled to react after a suspected surveillance plane was spotted over the Baltic Sea today, with the aircraft seemingly drifting without filing proper flight documentation.
According to the German Delegation to NATO , the plane was identified as an Ilyushin Il-20M, a Cold War-era aircraft packed with spy equipment, including radar, signals intelligence and electronic warfare capabilities.
These aircraft are routinely used to monitor communications and air defence systems, with this weekend's intruder reportedly taking off from Russian soil before entering international waters without establishing r