NATO aircraft mistakenly fires missile near Estonia-Russia border
Estonia has temporarily banned Spanish aircraft from participating in airspace patrol missions after the missile was mistakenly fired.
Spanish fighter jets taking part in NATO's air patrol mission over Estonia have been temporarily grounded after one of the pilots mistakenly fired a missile near the Russian border during a training flight.
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| Spain's Eurofighter Typhoon 2000 aircraft. Photo: Reuters. |
RT quoted the Spanish Ministry of Defense as saying that a group of two Spanish Eurofighter Typhoon 2000 aircraft and two French Mirage 2000 aircraft participated in a training exercise in southwestern Estonia on August 7. One of the Spanish aircraft accidentally fired an air-to-air missile, but the missile did not hit any airborne targets.
All of these aircraft later returned safely to Saiuliai Air Base in Lithuania. The Spanish Ministry of Defense has opened an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, Estonian authorities have decided to temporarily ban Spanish aircraft from participating in air patrol missions in their country.
"I have ordered the suspension of all military flights by Spanish aircraft until the situation is resolved. NATO operations will continue. The most important thing is to ensure safety and clarify what happened," Estonian national television channel ERR quoted Estonian Defense Minister Juri Luik as saying.
Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas also called the incident “terrible” and “regrettable”, but he affirmed that NATO's mission was “very important and necessary to ensure Estonia's security”.
According to ERR, Portuguese Air Force aircraft will replace Spain in NATO operations in Estonia.
Estonian media reported that the missile that was mistakenly shot down was an AMRAAM. This is an air-to-air missile with a range of 100km and can carry a 10kg explosive warhead. According to calculations, this missile should have fallen to the ground in an area 40km north of the Estonian city of Tartu. The Estonian Air Force conducted a search for this missile on the evening of August 7.
Authorities also asked local people to be vigilant and notify the military or emergency forces if they find missiles or missile debris./.