A Soviet-era aircraft, it was designed as a strategic airlifter, particularly useful for more remote areas as it has the ability to operate on unpaved runways.
NATO Baltic Air Policing QRA F-16 jets on 14 Sept scrambled to intercept RU Armed Forces 3x Il-76 over the Baltic Sea.
— NBS (@Latvijas_armija) September 14, 2014
This came after an NBS tweet shared news on Saturday morning that two Russian naval vessels – a CC-750 submarine support ship and a guided missile corvette of the Tarantul-class were spotted just 13 nautical miles from Latvia’s territorial waters opposite the coastal village of Užava.
LVA Armed Forces on 13 SEPT in LVA EEZ 13 nm from territ. waters spotted RU Navy's submarine support ship CC-750; Tarantul-class ship.
— NBS (@Latvijas_armija) September 13, 2014
Also, earlier Friday night F-16 jets from the BAP scrambled to head off a Russian Armed Forces AN-26 military transport plane.
NATO Baltic Air Policing QRF F16 jets on 12 Sept scrambled to intercept Russian Armed Forces An-26 over the Baltic Sea.
— NBS (@Latvijas_armija) September 12, 2014
