The Air Force is investigating an apparent incursion into Finnish air space by Russian fighter jets.
The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon off the coast of Helsinki in the Gulf of Finland, and the Ministry of Defence says two SU-27 jets were involved.
It is understood the planes were up to half a kilometer inside Finnish territory for several minutes. Air Force Hornets were scrambled to intercept and identify the aircraft - something that happens several times every year.
Russian jets are usually responsible for a number of incursions each year, but other countries’ military aircraft have also been known to cross into Finnish airspace.
Last year two Russian SU-27P jet variants, which are a pure fighter-interceptor model, designed to go into combat against other planes, were photographed up close by Finnish Air Force pilots. The SU-27P has no capability to strike targets on the ground.
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