The aircraft were raised to intercept Russian Tu-160 bombers. According to Le Soir, referring to a source in the armed forces of the country, Russian aircraft were escorted by Belgian military aircraft along the North Sea. Details of interception and escort of aircraft are not specified.
However, according to media reports, the F-16 is ready for take-off within a few minutes as part of Operation Quick Reaction Alert,.
It is activated, for example, in the case of the arrival of unidentified aircraft or aircraft with which radio communication has been lost. The mission to protect the airspace over the Benelux, which is provided alternately with the Netherlands, Belgium resumed last Thursday.
Recall, as reported by URA-Inform, fighters of the mission of the Baltic Air Patrol of the North Atlantic Alliance deployed in Lithuania and Estonia, in 2017, accompanied by about 130 Russian military aircraft flying near the borders of the Baltic States.