The RC-135 was in flight for data collection on the borders of the Russian airspace of Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania, where it is assumed that Moscow deployed Iskander short-range tactical ballistic missiles with a range of 415 km.
This incident occurs in the margins of the continuous air raids in the attempt to acquire data on the opposing forces, to test their reaction times, but in particular as a deterrent to possible military actions by surprise. An activity that has become more acute over the last 12 months, and which has created problems for civil navigation, as military aircraft fly with the transponders off to avoid being intercepted by the opposing defense systems.
Giovanni Caprara
Source: Pentagon
