Close encounters between Atlantique and Russian naval units

During a surveillance mission of critical underwater infrastructure in international waters of the Baltic Sea, a French Navy Atlantique ATL2, departed from NAS Lorient, was subjected to an act of intimidation by a Russian naval unit, which targeted it with its fire-control radar.

This is the second time in a few months that a French aircraft conducting a surveillance mission in international airspace has faced such intimidation. The previous incident occurred in January when an S-400 anti-aircraft battery locked onto the aircraft near Kaliningrad.