Spain and Belgium take over NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission
The 40th rotation of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission took place today (7 January 2016) in Lithuania and Estonia. Responsibility for the mission was transferred from Hungary and Germany to Spain and Belgium, demonstrating NATO’s enduring solidarity with its Baltic Allies.
Spain is leading the Baltic Air Policing mission for the first four months of 2016 with four Eurofighter Typhoon jets based at Šiauliai, Lithuania. Four Belgian F-16 fighter jets are based at the Ämari airbase in Estonia.
Allies take up the air patrols for a four-month rotation. Germany and Hungary had been patrolling the airspace over the Baltic countries since September.
NATO has been protecting the Baltic skies since 2004, when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined the Alliance.
NATO Allies protect their airspace on a 24/7 basis. NATO air policing missions help Allies who do not have their own fighter aircraft to guard their airspace.