
Swedish Fighter Jets Escort Russian Spy Plane Over Baltic Sea Vantage with Palki Sharma
Swedish Fighter Jets Escort Russian Spy Plane Over Baltic Sea | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G
Swedish Fighter Jets Escort Russian Spy Plane Over Baltic Sea | Vantage with Palki Sharma | N18G
Two Swedish fighter jets under NATO command intercepted a Russian plane near Poland. The jets were scrambled over the Baltic Sea to escort a Russian reconnaissance plane that was approaching Polish airspace on Thursday. "The plane was close to Polish airspace so we went up to signal our presence, make a visual identification and escort it out of the area," Swedish air force spokesperson Therese Akerstedt told AFP. The Swedish jets identified the aircraft as a Russian IL-20 Coot reconnaissance plane. Tensions have escalated in the Baltic Sea ever since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022. Sweden joined NATO in March 2024.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
F-35 beware! American stealth fighter has been shot down, and an innovative method was used to lock on to the advanced combat jet
Iran claims to have shot down three Israeli F-35I Adir fifth generation stealth jets during the ongoing combat operations. Iranian forces also say they have captured at least one of the female pilots flying what is touted as the world's most advanced fighter aircraft. Israel, on the other hand, denies losing any aircraft during the bombing run on Iran, and instead claims to have established aerial superiority over the skies of its adversary. Israel Defense Forces have been routinely releasing videos of air and missile strikes on Iranian air defence systems and missile launchers, with the claims of having destroyed at least a third of the latter, delivering a massive blow to Tehran's plans to target its enemy. But are the Iranian claims of having shot down multiple F-35I Adirs true? by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bank Owned Properties For Sale In Menteng (Prices May Surprise You) Foreclosed Homes | Search ads Search Now While the truth may take some time to come out as wartime claims and counter claims continue, what is clear that Iran did try to shoot down the Israeli jets during their bombing runs. Israel, which used the F-15, F-16 and F-35 jets to hit military and nuclear facilities in Iran, has categorically stated that none of its aircraft have been shot down, let alone its prized stealth jets. Also Read: Nuclear weapons increasing as Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Iran conflict reignites World War III fears Live Events However, American stealth combat aircraft are not immune and one was indeed brought down by a technologically less advanced adversary, and this incident happened in the last century. Another stealth jet was shot at by a surface-to-air missile and though it managed to get back to its base, the damage ensured that it was never flown again. US F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter shot down Let's recount what happened during the civil war in the then Yugoslavia in 1999 when the United States Air Force lost a Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk stealth ground attack aircraft with serial number 82-0806 to what many considered a Soviet era obsolete surface-to-air missile system. As the civil war in the now defunct Yugoslavia raged on in the mid and late 1990s, the NATO led by the US stepped in. The US Air Force deployed its F-117A Nighthawk, the first-ever operational stealth combat jet in the world, to patrol the skies over the breaking Yugoslavia. During one such patrol on the night of March 27, 1999, a F-117A, call sign "Vega-31" and piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Darrell Patrick "Dale" Zelko was flying near Belgrade when a unit of the Yugoslavian Army under the command of Lt. Col Zoltán Dani locked on to the fighter. The unit was armed with Soviet Isayev S-125 Neva/ Pechora missile system (NATO reporting name SA-3 Goa), employing a decades old technology developed in the 1950s. How the US stealth fighter was tracked Lt. Col Dani employed an innovative and ingenious method to track and lock on to the F-117A by operating his radars thrice, each time only for 20 seconds. At 8:15 pm local time, Lt Col Dani's unit got lucky and was able to lock on to the F-117A when Lt Col Zelko opened the plane's internal bay to drop the bombs, increasing the stealth aircraft's radar cross section area. Also Read: Will US join Israel-Iran war after embassy hit? Iran's biggest blunder may drag America into conflict As soon as the F-117A lit up the radar, Lt Col Đorđe Aničić, the soldier responsible for firing the missiles, launched multiple projectiles at the stealth jet. The missiles with a range of 8 miles (13 kilometers) were fired in quick successions and the air defence system was operational for just 17 seconds to avoid detection by NATO. The jet about about 14 miles (23 km) away from the Yugoslav air defence unit when it was locked on. As it approached the area nearer to the Soviet Isayev S-125 Neva system, the missiles already airborne locked on to the jet and went for the kill. During his debriefing following his rescue, Lt. Col. Zelko recounted that he saw two Isayev S-125 missiles streaking towards him. While the first one missed the F-117A but caused buffeting, the second one detonated. The missile's shrapnel and shockwaves resulted in the stealth jet going down. The shoot down was also confirmed by a NATO Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker which was over Bosnia at that time. Lt. Col. Zelko parachuted and hid while Yugoslav soldiers fanned out to hunt him. He, however, managed to escape being captured and was ultimately rescued by a team of US Air Force combat search and rescue team. More than a month later after the shoot down, another F-117A was on April 30, 1999, hit by the Yugoslavian air defence missile. However, this one did not fall out of the sky and hobbled back to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany. But the damage suffered by the jet was extensive and the airframe was declared a total loss and never flew again. The F-117A was retired by the US Air Force in 2008.


NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Video Shows Russian Drone Hitting Housing Complex In Kyiv, 14 Killed In Attack
Kyiv: Russia has launched a major missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and wounding several others, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack, the latest in a spate of Russian strikes on Ukraine, occurred as world leaders gathered in Canada for the Group of Seven (G7) meeting, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend. Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said that 27 locations in different districts of the capital came under enemy fire. "Residential buildings, educational institutions and critical infrastructure facilities" had all been hit, he said, adding that 30 apartments were destroyed in a single residential block. "The deaths have risen to 14 people. As of now, 44 people have been injured in Kyiv," Klymenko added. The Minister also informed that six others had been injured in Odesa and another in Chernigiv. Footage from this morning emerged on social media showing a direct strike by a drone on a high-rise apartment building in the Ukrainian capital. Footage from this morning's large-scale missile and drone attack by Russia, showing a direct strike by a Shahed-type drone on a high-rise apartment building in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 17, 2025 Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko had earlier reported the death of a US citizen in a Russian attack on the capital's Solomyansky district. "During the attack on Kyiv... a 62-year-old US citizen died in a house opposite to the place where medics were providing assistance to the injured," Klitschko said on Telegram. Most of the casualties were reportedly in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts. City's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said fires also broke out in two other Kyiv districts as a result of falling debris from drones shot down by Ukrainian air defences. Both Russia and Ukraine have launched mass drone attacks in recent weeks amid the ongoing direct talks on ending the more than three-year-old war. The talks have produced agreements on freeing prisoners of war and returning the bodies of fallen soldiers, but little more. This came as Zelenskyy was set to meet with US President Donald Trump in Canada on Tuesday, though the White House announced that Trump would be returning unexpectedly to Washington on Monday night instead of Tuesday night because of tensions in the Middle East. In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defence units had repelled an attack on the city by two Ukrainian drones. The city's airports were briefly closed.

Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Donald Trump reaffirms support for Putin amid ongoing rift with allies
By Erica L. Green and Zolan Kanno-Youngs President Trump could have opened by talking about trade. He could have discussed the wars in the Middle East or the long-running, brutal war in Ukraine. But there was something else that appeared to be top of mind for Mr Trump during Monday's meeting in Canada of the leaders of the Group of 7 industrialized nations: President Vladimir Putin of Russia. 'The G7 used to be the G8,' Mr Trump told reporters, referring to the group's decision to eject Russia in 2014, after it attacked Ukraine and 'annexed' Crimea, a prelude to its full-scale invasion. He went on to blame former President Barack Obama and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada for kicking Russia out, and argued that its inclusion in the group would have averted the war in Ukraine. (Mr Trump was wrong — it was not Mr Trudeau, but rather Stephen Harper, who was the Canadian prime minister at the time of Russia's expulsion.) And with that, Mr Trump's troubled history with the alliance repeated itself. When he attended the summit the last time it was held in Canada, in 2018, he called for Russia to be readmitted to alliance. The suggestion angered and appalled allies, setting of a rift that before Mr Trump left the summit early, telling reporters on his way out: 'They should let Russia come back in. Because we should have Russia at the negotiating table.' Mr Trump's remarks came one day before he was supposed to meet in Canada with Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump has repeatedly criticized for the invasion of his country and has even accused of not wanting the war to end. The White House announced on Monday that Mr Trump would leave the summit early and return to Washington to deal with the war between Israel and Iran. In a recent interview, Mr Trump said he was open to having Mr Putin serve as a mediator in the Middle East conflict. Mr Trump's argument on Monday was even more remarkable given that he returned to the summit three years after Russia escalated the aggression that got it ejected in the first place — launching an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with similar goals of seizing its territory. The scene on Monday illustrated how even more aligned Mr Trump has grown with the Russian autocrat since his first time in office, and how alienated Mr Trump has become from American allies who have rallied around Ukraine. Asked about Mr Trump's decision to open his remarks at the summit by criticizing Mr Putin's expulsion from the bloc, a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Mr Trump had long held that view and would share his opinion even if he were meeting with global leaders who feel differently. Mr Trump, in his remarks on Monday, repeated a claim he made in 2018, that the Group of 7 needed Mr Putin to help solve some of the world's problems — including ones the Russian leader himself caused. 'You spend so much time talking about Russia, and he's no longer at the table,' Mr Trump said. John Bolton, Mr Trump's former national security adviser, said Mr Trump's multiple calls for Russia to rejoin the alliance indicated his lack of knowledge about the history of the bloc. Mr Bolton accompanied Mr Trump to the 2018 summit, where a memorable photo emerged of Mr Trump seated across from other world leaders with his arms folded in defiance. 'Never seemed to understand that Russia had been kicked out of the G8 for invading Ukraine,' Mr Bolton said. He said Mr Trump also could not comprehend that the partnership 'was a group of like-minded industrial democracies. Apparently, still doesn't understand.' 'Putin speaks to me; he doesn't speak to anybody else,' Mr Trump said, 'because he was very insulted when he got thrown out at the G8, as I would be, as you would be, as anybody would be.' Mr Trump has spoken with Mr Putin regularly, as recently as Saturday, when he said that the Russian leader had called him to wish him a 'Happy Birthday' and spent more time discussing the Iranian-Israeli conflict than the war he started. 'Our G7 partners are likely to conclude that Trump may be more interested in rehabilitating Putin rather than joining the consensus supporting Ukraine,' said Daniel M. Price, who worked on international trade and investment during the Bush administration. Mr Trump's embrace — and sometimes outright defense — of Mr Putin in his second term has thus far done little to quell the war, which he claimed on the campaign trail he could end in one day. He has also acknowledged that Mr Putin may be taking advantage of him by dragging out the war. As Russia has escalated its incursion into Ukraine, Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened tariffs against Russia, though he has yet to follow through. At the same time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, along with other European leaders, was expected to use the summit to announce another sanctions package against Russia. Mr Starmer said in a statement that he wanted to 'work with all of our G7 partners to squeeze Russia's energy revenues and reduce the funds they are able to pour into their illegal war.' Asked after a meeting with Mr Starmer on Monday if the United States would join Europe in applying further sanctions, Mr Trump downplayed the measure. 'Well, Europe is saying that, but they haven't done it yet,' he said. 'Let's see them do it first.' Mr Trump said he was still waiting to see if a cease-fire deal could be made, adding that sanctions would also be costly for the United States. 'It's not just, let's sign a document,' he said. 'You're talking about billions and billions of dollars. Sanctions are not that easy. It's not just a one-way street.' Mr Trump, in recent months, has also indicated that he wants to all but wash his hands of the war in Ukraine, having grown frustrated by the lack of progress in negotiating a peace deal. Experts said that Mr Trump's comments on Monday about welcoming Russia back into the fold of leading industrialized countries made clear his shifting goal post for the war. 'To make that particular point I think cuts to the core of the recent most successful actions the G7 has taken,' said Josh Lipsky, the senior director for the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center. 'It puts the summit in a G6 plus one dynamic right off the bat.'