It was a routine call for the Norwegian fighter pilot participating in NATO's Quick Reaction Alert mission, high in the sky off Norway's coast. He was tasked with investigating and identifying an aircraft that had entered the mission's patrol area in international airspace northwest of Norway. Fluffy clouds dotted the piercing blue atmosphere, and it looked like it would be a non-eventful mission, until something gray darted in front of the Norwegian pilot's F-16 -- a Russian MiG fighter, according to the Norwegian Defence Ministry. "What the hell!" is a loose, relatively polite translation of what he's heard saying on video released by Norwegian military.
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The Russian MiG was not aggressive, but its behavior was unusual
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Norway's Defence Ministry says it's an example of what its pilots face
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It's not clear if MiG pilot miscalculated distance to Norwegian jet, ministry says
The Norwegian aircraft then banks sharply to the left to maneuver away from the @placeholder.