NATO jets start air patrols over Romania
Four Typhoon fighter aircraft from the British Royal Air Force arrived in Romania on Monday (April 24 2017) as part of NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission. The air patrols will form an important part of the Alliance’s role to maintain security in the Black Sea region and demonstrate NATO’s unity and resolve in response to a more challenging security environment.
The Typhoon multi-role fighters from Royal Air Force 3 Fighter Squadron will be based at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase in southeast Romania for four months. They’ll be working alongside the Romanian Air Force to conduct the NATO mission, similar to NATO’s Air Policing role in the Baltics.
NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu said, “This is an important mission which will help keep the skies over Romania safe. It’s just one of many measures NATO has taken to enhance our collective defence across the eastern part of the Alliance. From the Black Sea to the Baltics, Allies are standing together. NATO is determined to defend any Ally against any threat.”
Following decisions taken by Allied Heads of State and Government at the Warsaw Summit in 2016, NATO is increasing its presence in the Black Sea region. On land, this presence is built around a Romanian-led multinational brigade. Romania is a key NATO Ally and it makes valuable contributions to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and to the KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.