High Alert: Russia Targets French Planes Over Kaliningrad

January 28, 2025

Targeting French patrol craft that were in international waters seems like an aggressive action. But Moscow would likely claim this was self-defense.

Things are getting intense between NATO and the Russian Federation, especially in the wake of the outgoing Biden administration’s decision to impose a new set of very harsh sanctions upon Russia’s energy and defense sectors, as well as against 150 individuals who have allegedly benefited from the Ukraine War.

As the intensity increases between the West and Russia, an incident occurred on the night of January 15-16 that reminded many people of the darkest days of the Cold War.

In the nighttime hours over the Baltic Sea, two French Navy Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft were greeted a set of warning indicators on their consoles that their planes had been lit up by the targeting radar of a Russian S-400 long-range air defense missile system.

The French military has assessed the S-400 was operating in the Kaliningrad, a small, heavily militarized enclave situated between Poland and Germany, that sits along the Baltic Sea. Stalin’s Red Army took the region from Germany in 1945, and the Russians have never surrendered it to the Europeans.

Indeed, the Kaliningrad is heavily blanketed by advanced Russian military systems, given its strategic location in the heart of NATO and along the Baltic Sea. Not only are there advanced air defense systems, such as the S-400, but it is believed that Moscow has moved tactical nuclear weapons there over the years. NATO air patrols have routinely flown near the Kaliningrad and never faced such hostile action from the Russians based there.

An Aggressive Act

Targeting French patrol craft that were in international waters seems like an aggressive action. But, given the context of what’s been happening between NATO and the Russians over the Ukraine War, Moscow would likely claim this was self-defense, less of a hostile act and more of a warning to the French.

After all, the French government under President Emmanuel Macron has been particularly aggressive in its rhetoric toward the Russians on the matter of Ukraine.

More importantly, though, NATO has spent a decade trying to remove Russia’s naval presence in Sevastopol in Crimea, and the sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria appears to have successfully dislodged the Russians from their other warm water port of Tartus. Kaliningrad is thus one of the few remaining Russian warm water ports outside of Russia. Moscow is understandably twitchy that French moves near the Kaliningrad might be more than they appear.

Further, in the aftermath of the attack on the last remaining pipeline network that links Russian natural gas sources with European customers, the Turkstream Pipeline, Moscow will take no chances (and wants to send a message to the leaders of NATO). And don’t forget about the recent killing of a NATO F-16 flight trainer in Ukraine, who was killed in a Russian missile barrage targeting the area where the NATO trainers were working in Ukraine.

Clearly, there are escalations occurring on both sides. Given this, it stands to reason that the recent interaction between the French planes and the Russian S-400 air defense units in the Kaliningrad occurred as described.

The Ukraine War is at a very precarious juncture.

The S-400

Known as the “Triumf,” or SA-21 Growler by NATO, the S-400 is an advanced Russian mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system meant to engage enemy aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. It has a range of around 25 miles for low-flying targets and up to 248 miles for higher targets.

S-400s are mounted on vehicles, allowing for quick deployment and relocation (therefore the S-400 has enhanced survivability). What’s more, the S-400 utilizes several types of missiles for different threats, including the 48N6 (long-range), 9M96E/E2 (medium-to-short-range), and others that are optimized for handling specific threats.

This is a highly sought after air defense system.

An S-400 includes an 91N6E radar system for detection, tracking, and guidance, with capabilities for both active and passive radar operations. Each S-400 can carry up to four missiles in its multiple launchers.

The S-400 can engage up to 36 targets at once with up to 72 missiles in the air at once. Further, the S-400 can be integrated into a broader air defense network, communicating with other systs for a layered defense approach.

Atlantique 2 (ATL2)

Officially known as the Breguet Br.1150 Atlantique 2, this is a long-range maritime patrol aircraft developed by the iconic French defense firm, Dassault Aviation, the French Navy. It was first flown in the 1980s and was meant to give the French Navy during the Cold War era a more versatile platform for maritime surveillance and combat. The Atlantique 2 has a distinctive double-bubble fuselage for housing the crew and the extensive array of sensors and weapons that these birds carry.

France’s Atlantique 2s are powered by twin Rolls-Royce Tyne turboprop engines.

France uses these planes primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) that are capable of anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), search, and rescue, and maritime patrol missions.

It’s that first part of the plane’s mission set that should be of interest to you. That’s because, for weeks, the world has been inundated by reports of both Russian and even Chinese ships attempting to sabotage key undersea telecommunications cable lines linking Europe with the wider world. More importantly, the Dutch Navy was scrambled to counter a Russian submarine that crossed the Netherlands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The French might have been doing some sub hunting, trying to protect those critical undersea communications lines from further attack.

France’s military has upgraded these planes several times, with the most recent being the Standard 6 variant that comes equipped with a Thales Searchmaster AESA advanced radar, acoustic systems for submarine detection using sonobuoys, magnetic anomaly detectors, and various electro-optical and infrared sensors. Paris wants the Standard 6 variants flying until the 2030s.

The Atlantique 2s can carry up to 3.5 tons of armaments, including torpedoes like the MU90 Impact, depth charges, mines, and air-to-surface missiles, like the AM39.

If the Atlantique 2s were, in fact, doing some real sub-hunting against Russia, you could bet that the Russians were probably keen on stopping that activity. What better way than to actively target French planes, causing confusion and concern on the enemy side.

About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert

Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

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