Potential Aviation Disaster Looms As NATO Says Russian Spy Planes Fly On Stealth Mode

   (International Business Times) --- Jens Stoltenberg, NATO's new secretary general, has disclosed Russian warplanes have been conducting too many flights over European airspace and these are usually on stealth mode, raising the scary possibility of another aviation disaster concerning commercial airliners that involves the lives of international travellers.

   In an earlier report in October, NATO said it had intercepted over 100 Russian aircraft flying over international and European airspace. It was discovered that among these involved a Scandinavian Airlines plane and a Russian surveillance plane. Both aircraft were already within 90 metres of each other outside of Malmo city in Sweden when the Scandinavian Airlines plane learnt of the presence of the Russian military plane.

   For unknown reasons, the Russian military plane had been discovered to have purportedly turned off its transponder. A flight transponder is a device that emits an identifying signal in response to an interrogating received signal. The problem with many Russian aircraft, specifically Russian military pilots, is that they do not turn on their transponder, Stoltenberg told The Telegraph. Moreover, they do not coordinate and communicate with civilian air traffic control their flights plans.

   Authorities will just get surprised they are already there hovering up there in the skies. "This poses a risk to civilian air traffic and therefore this is a problem, especially when the Russian activity increases -- because they have more Russian military planes in the air." The Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737 that almost collided with the Russian plane, identified as an IL-20 surveillance craft, reportedly had 132 passengers onboard. It was bound to Rome and had just taken off from Copenhagen. Good thing the Scandinavian Airlines pilot was quick to react, plus the event occurred in daylight and in good visibility.

   Stoltenberg stressed that as a rule, military planes flying over international airspace "is not illegal." But as such, there are rules to follow. One strict rule is to communicate with civilian air traffic control. Failure to abide with it "is not in accordance with good norms." NATO said Russia has been flying three times more military planes this year than it did in 2013.