Belgium Air Component

On 15 January 2018, two Belgium Air Component F-16AMs of the Benelux Quick Reaction Alert scrambled this morning on 10:24 (zulu time, 11:24 local time) from homebase Florennes, Belgium. Most probably serials FA121 (some say FA92) and FA128 (call signs LH01 and LH02) speeded over Mach 1, through cleared and shared Dutch airspace, to intercept two Tu-160 Blackjacks (call signs 87410 and 87411) from the Russian Federation - Aerospace Forces (RF VKS), Supreme Command of the Air Force, Long-range Aviation (DA).

The Tu-160s knocked into the North Sea between Denmark and the Netherlands. Both Vipers easy managed to intercept the Blackjacks (one was identified as RF-94102) under guidance of the Dutch Air Operation Control Station Nieuw-Milligen.
The F-16AMs flew some ten minutes near the bombers until the Russians, at 11:01z, continued their route off the East coast of the United Kingdom through international airspace. Two Typhoons of the Royal Air Force (reported as call signs 9MK16 & 17), scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth, took over the guidance until 11:44z. RAF E-3D ZH104 (call sign NATO36/MAGIC86) worked closely with the QRA groups as well as A330 Voyager ZZ334 (call sign 4NK66) operating from RAF Brize Norton that acted as refueler for at least one Typhoon.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Belgium air force agreed some time ago to share the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) to decrease costs of the 24/7 365 days a year alert service.
Photo credit mil radar
Photo Tu-160 with Typhoon (archive BBC)
(Hopefully the Belgium Air Component is able to share some photos of this intercept in the upcoming days) #avgeek
Frecuencias 225 a 399.MHZ
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