WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) Finnish Defense Forces said in a press release that it carried out surveillance flights with the United States earlier in the day.
"The Finnish Defence Forces carries out surveillance flights in Finnish airspace together with key international partners. The first flight will be conducted in cooperation with the United States on Thursday 23 March 2023," the release said on Thursday. "For operational security reasons, the details of the flights cannot be published."
The Finnish Defense Forces said there has been no recent changes to Finland's military security situation or environment, but similar flights in Finnish airspace will be carried out in the future with different types of aircraft, both manned and unmanned.
According to flight tracking data, a US military aircraft with signal intelligence gathering capabilities flew along the Russian border from inside Finnish airspace. The US aircraft, according to the tracking data, is a Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft.
The flights took place as Finnish President Sauli Niinisto signed a law on the country's accession to NATO during a meeting of the government, which moves it closer to joining the alliance.
