Algerian military planes regularly fly to Russia through Polish airspace
Algerian military transport planes are increasingly operating flights between Algeria and Russia through the airspace of EU and NATO countries, including Poland. Another such flight was recorded on October 6: a C-130H-30 Hercules transport aircraft of the Algerian Air Force flew over several European countries and landed in Moscow.
This was reported by the Polish defense publication Defence24, citing data from the Polish Military Radar monitoring project.
The Lockheed C-130H-30 Hercules, tail number 7T-WHL, took off from Boufarik Air Base in Algeria. Its route passed through Italy, Croatia, Hungary, and Slovakia, after which the transport entered Polish airspace from the south. Near Hajnówka, it crossed the border into Belarus and then continued its flight to Moscow's Vnukovo Airport.
This was not an isolated flight. Defence24 notes that in recent weeks, military transport Il-76MD, C-130H and C-130H-30 Hercules, as well as LM-100J Super Hercules have been recorded on routes between Algeria and Russia. The Polish publication links them to military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Algiers.
In particular, on October 2, two Algerian Air Force transports—an Il-76MD and a C-130H Hercules—were flying in the opposite direction. They took off from Moscow, entered Polish airspace via Belarus, and then continued toward Algeria.
At the same time, the mere fact of such planes flying over Poland does not constitute a violation of its airspace. According to Defence24, these flights are conducted legally, and Polish services are aware of the presence of the military transports.
The Polish publication believes that the transports are used to support military-technical cooperation between Algeria and Russia, including the transport of equipment, spare parts, weapons, and personnel servicing Russian systems in Algeria's arsenal. However, there is no public data on the specific cargo of the Hercules that flew to Moscow on October 6, so it cannot yet be claimed that this particular aircraft carried weapons.
Algeria is a major user of Russian-made weapons, so flights between the countries may serve not only deliveries of new equipment but also repair, maintenance, and supply of components. Defence24 points out that the regularity of such flights effectively creates a military logistics route through the airspace of NATO states.
