Poland takes lead of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing, supported by Spain
Poland took the lead of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission on Tuesday (2 May 2017), succeeding the Royal Netherlands Air Force at Šiauliai airbase in Lithuania. Spain will replace the German Air Force in supporting the mission from Estonia’s Ämari airbase.
The Polish Air Force will carry out the mission with four F-16 fighter aircraft, while the Spanish Air Force is deploying five F-18 fighter jets. Poland has now led the mission six times, while Spain is also a regular contributor.
Since 2004, seventeen Allies have participated in 44 rotations of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing. The mission is a standing peacetime activity, helping ensure the integrity of the airspace over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The next scheduled rotation is foreseen for September.