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A submarine-hunting aircraft operated by NATO member Norway recently flew near major military bases in northwestern Russia, according to publicly available flight records.
### Why It Matters
Signals captured by Flightradar24 show that NATO nations, including the United States, have been conducting reconnaissance flights close to Russia’s Murmansk region. A U.S. Air Force spy plane took off from a British base on Tuesday and approached Murmansk, which is adjacent to Finland. Similar flights were also conducted by RAF aircraft last week.
### What To Know
The Norwegian P-8A “Poseidon” was first detected in the Barents Sea heading towards Murmansk. Russia’s Northern Fleet, which controls Moscow’s submarine and nuclear capabilities, operates from the Murmansk region, including Severomorsk. The area around Murmansk and Severomorsk is dotted with various military bases, many of them significant for submarines.
The Kremlin has a formidable submarine fleet that is generally considered more impressive than its surface vessels.
Flightradar24 records show the Norwegian P-8A flying from near Murmansk to Svalbard before returning to northern Norway. The aircraft appears to be operating out of Evenes Air Station, which also hosts advanced F-35 fighter jets and Norway’s new P-8A fleet.
In a statement, the Norwegian military said one of its Poseidon patrol aircraft conducted training in and around Svalbard. “It is important that we familiarize ourselves with the conditions in Svalbard,” they stated. “This time we flew over the areas in Svalbard.”
### What Happens Next
NATO has increased focus on the Arctic, a region where Russia holds significant dominance. NATO officials have also expressed concern about China’s growing presence in the Arctic, despite it not being an Arctic state.
**Update:** This article was updated with a statement from the Norwegian armed forces.
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What type of aircraft was first detected flying near Murmansk according to the flight records?
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