Such encounters occur every other day on average and haven’t seen a significant uptick since the start of Russia’s war with Ukraine, NATO officials said. In addition to Uedem, a center in Torrejon, Spain monitors traffic in the southern part of the alliance. Around 30 surveillance and fighter jets are in the air at any one time monitoring NATO airspace. While no allied planes will enter into Ukrainian airspace, some planes and ground radar sites can pick up information about what’s in Ukrainian airspace or on land. “You always need some early warnings,” Harold Van Pee, commander of the Uedem center, said.
