Europe keeps scrambling fighters to 'intercept' American jets

Under the leadership of President Donald Trump, the U.S. has taken an increasingly hostile stance toward its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). And now, according to Stars and Stripes, one NATO nation has scrambled fighter jets to confront U.S. aircraft twice in the past week.

According to Austrian defense ministry spokesman Michael Bauer, the incidents on Sunday then Monday involved Austrian Eurofighters intercepting American PC-12s. Bauer described it as a “priority A” situation, which is typically reserved for urgent military matters, saying that the fighters were dispatched to verify whether the American aircraft matched relevant flight registration. He asserted that the matter would be addressed through diplomatic channels.

All of this comes amid growing tension not only between the U.S. and NATO in general, but between Washington and Austria specifically, as the country was one of several that denied the use of its airspace for U.S. missions relating to the war with Iran. Trump’s aggression toward NATO — which he calls a “paper tiger” — has strained relations between the U.S. and its European allies as the president has sought to leave the security organization. The conflict in the Middle East has further complicated the situation as NATO has balked at Trump’s repeated pleas for help with the war. Now the Austrian interception of American planes suggests a widening divide between the U.S. and its allies across the Atlantic.

While the PC-12 is a Swiss-made jet, as the U.S. military publication Stars and Stripes explained, “Air Force Special Operations Command’s fleet includes the U-28A, which is a modified variant of the PC-12. The planes are typically used for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.”

“It wasn’t clear why the Austrians felt compelled to scramble fighters to identify the aircraft,” noted Stars and Stripes. “Assuming that the U.S. planes were traveling with their transponders on and in radio contact, they should have been visible to air traffic control.”

U.S. European Command said in a statement Wednesday that the two American aircraft were following “standard protocol” when they passed over Austria en route to an exercise in Eastern Europe on Monday. The statement did not mention the incident on Sunday.

“This flight took place after an administrative error in the overflight clearance paperwork was corrected,” claimed EUCOM. “The United States continues to work closely with Austrian authorities on any questions regarding overflights and fully complies with Austrian laws and procedures.”

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