Fortunately for the 18-person crew, the jets below belonged to allies, not adversaries, and were also patrolling the skies for threats to the NATO summit being held in The Hague on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“This almost never happens,” said Lt. Col. Cédric who, like others quoted in this piece, was not authorized by the French Armed Forces to give his surname.
Cédric spoke to POLITICO on an 11-hour flight during which the French military showed how NATO secures the skies, whether for a major gathering of 32 world leaders or, increasingly, on the alliance’s eastern flank, closer to Ukraine, where Russian forces will often engage in hostile behavior.
“We are regularly working on NATO deployments, on joint exercises, and the aim is to be fully inter-operational,” Cédric said. Friction among armies from different nations must be reduced to an absolute minimum, he added.
The Russian aerial threat
The French AWACS circling the skies above the Netherlands is one of three reconnaissance planes that was deployed to help enforce a 10 kilometer no-fly zone and 60 kilometer heightened-control zone around the summit venue. Dutch fighter jets, refueling tanker aircraft, helicopters and ships at sea are also involved in the mission.
Though the threat level is low in the Netherlands, the crew remains vigilant.