Thirty years after it happened, now it can be told. From Air Force Magazine Daily Report for December 3, 2018. (Scroll down to the story.)
Former Swedish Air Force Awarded Air Medals for Previously Classified SR-71 Escort
The Air Force last week awarded four former Swedish air force pilots US Air Medals for helping escort and defend a wounded SR-71 Blackbird in a mission that stayed classified for more than 30 years. On June 29, 1987, an SR-71 was flying a reconnaissance mission over the Baltic Sea, a flight known as a “Baltic Express” flight, when it experienced an in-flight emergency. Two pairs of Swedish air force Viggens intercepted the aircraft when it flew down to about 25,000 feet over Swedish air space, according to a US Air Forces in Europe release….
….Retired Swedish air force Col. Lars-Eric Blad, Majs. Roger Moller and Krister Sjoberg, and Lt. Bo Ignell received the awards during the ceremony.
More, from Popular Mechanics:
Swedish pilots in Viggen fighter jets regularly trained to intercept the SR-71, though for the sake of practice, not malice. During this fateful flight of the “Baltic Express,” a Blackbird piloted by Lt. Cols. Duane Noll and Tom Veltri experienced engine trouble, losing power in one of the plane’s powerful Pratt & Whitney J58-1 afterburning turbofan engines.
The stricken plane apparently veered off course and flew into Swedish airspace over Gotland, descending more than ten miles to an altitude of 25,000 feet. The plane received an escort from two Swedish Air Force pilots who prepared to defend the SR-71 from possible interception by Soviet fighter jets….
...Why would the SR-71 need an armed escort? The Baltic Express flew near Soviet airspace on a weekly basis, taunting the USSR’s best pilots who struggled in vain to intercept it. The Soviet Air Force maintained a squadron of MiG-25PD “Foxbat” high-speed interceptors based in East Germany and always sent one MiG to attempt an intercept of the Baltic Express—without firing weapons. If the Soviets had gotten wind that the SR-71 was crippled and vulnerable, they could have attempted a shoot-down. Although a provocation, the use of deadly force by the Soviets was not unknown.
From DVIDS:
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. John Williams, Mobilization Assistant to the commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, presented the Air Medals to Swedish air force Col. Lars-Eric Blad, Majs. Roger Moller and Krister Sjoberg and Lt. Bo Ignell.
“That day in 1987 showed us that we can always count on our Swedish partners in times of great peril,” said Williams. “Even when there was both political risk and great physical risk in the form of actual danger, there was no hesitation on your part to preserve the pilots on that day.”
The presentation of Air Medals to the Swedish pilots represented the gratitude from the U.S. and the continued longstanding partnership with Sweden.
There are more details at the linked articles, especially the Popular Mechanics report. What’s notable about this story is that it’s only being revealed now. What else is still classified? Reconnaissance missions by their very nature are secretive. Detailing where and how intelligence is being gathered, often at great risk, is not something that can be openly reported or acknowledged. Given that the aircraft involved are generally not armed, the crews are taking an extra risk when they fly those missions.
Much appreciated, Sweden. Tack!