Algerian military transport planes regularly fly to Russia, passing through the airspace of European Union countries, including Poland. The flights may be related to military-technical cooperation between Algeria and Russia, reports the military portal “Militarniy“, quoted by News.bg, BTA reports.
On October 6, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport plane of the Algerian Air Force entered Polish airspace. Its final destination was Moscow's “Vnukovo“ airport.
The plane took off from the “Boufarik“ airbase in Algeria, after which its route passed over Italy, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia. After crossing the Polish border, the plane headed for Moscow via Belarus.
This is not an isolated case. Analysis of flight data shows that in recent weeks other military transport aircraft have also flown between Algeria and Russia.
On these routes, aircraft of the Il-76MD, C-130H/H-30 Hercules and LM-100J Super Hercules types have been detected. They can be used not only to transport cargo, but also to support military-technical cooperation between the two countries, including the maintenance of Russian weapons systems operated by Algeria.
Russia maintains a logistics network in Africa via Algeria
Defence24 also points to routes from Africa to Belarus, which, according to the publication, are also used by Russia. This logistics network is linked to Moscow's broader military presence on the African continent, particularly in Mali, the Central African Republic and Libya.
Algeria and Libya are key to such transport operations due to their geographical location between the Mediterranean Sea, the Sahara and the Sahel. Through these routes, Russia can facilitate the movement of personnel, equipment and other resources between Europe and Africa.
Thus, Russian-Algerian routes for military transport flights pass through the airspace of NATO countries, in particular Poland, despite the participation of the aircraft themselves in military cooperation with Russia.
Algeria remains a major customer of Russian military equipment
Algeria continues to be a major user of Russian weapons. It was previously reported that the country had ordered Su-57 fighter jets from Russia.
Internal documents of „Rostec“ also confirmed the purchase of 14 Su-34 fighter-bombers from Algeria.
In addition, in 2021, components of the Russian S-400 air defense system were spotted in Algeria, delivered as part of military-technical cooperation between the two countries.
Last year, it became known that Russia had delivered at least one Su-35 aircraft to Algeria from the order for Egypt, manufactured at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur plant. According to information, Moscow was probably preparing to send several more such fighters to the Algerian side.
It was also previously reported that Algeria has become a logistics center for the Russian “shadow air fleet“. Routes to Africa and other regions pass through Algerian air bases, which expands Russia's capabilities to carry out secret deliveries and maintain its military presence on the African continent.