”We are ready here when NATO is calling for us.” For the first time, jets assigned to NATO’s Air Policing mission are flying out of Latvia. Check out these German Eurofighters in action.
Synopsis
For the first time, jets assigned to NATO’s Air Policing mission are flying out of Latvia.
A detachment of German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons are currently based at Lielvarde Air Base, where they’re tasked with ensuring the safety and security of the airspace over and around Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
NATO aircraft assigned to the Baltic Air Policing mission regularly intercept Russian aircraft when they don’t use transponders to identify themselves or fail to respond to hails from air traffic controllers, meaning they appear on radar simply as an unidentified contact.
The Baltic Air Policing mission is led from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, where the Spanish and Portuguese Air Forces currently have fighters deployed. An additional nation usually covers the Baltic Sea from Ämari Air Base in Estonia, but fighters are temporarily stationed in Latvia while the Estonian Air Force improves the runway.
Transcript
— TEXT—
JETS FROM NATO’S AIR POLICING MISSION ARE FLYING OUT OF LATVIA
— TEXT—
FOR THE
FIRST TIME
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Lieutenant Colonel Swen Jacob - Detachment Commander, Baltic Air Policing mission
“We are ready here when NATO is calling for us.”
— TEXT—
GERMAN AIR FORCE
EUROFIGHTER
TYPHOONS
— TEXT—
ARE FLYING
MISSIONS FROM
LIELVARDE
AIR BASE
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Lieutenant Colonel Swen Jacob - Detachment Commander, Baltic Air Policing mission
GRAPHIC: LT.COL. SWEN JACOB -
Detachment Commander, Baltic Air Policing mission
“Whenever an aircraft is flying into Baltic air space, not behaving to the rules, we fly up there, we escort those aircraft, send out a signal and make the airspace safe for that.”
—SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH (SUBTITLES IN ENGLISH) —
Lieutenant Colonel Swen Jacob - Detachment Commander, Baltic Air Policing mission
“It’s a strong signal that we are here, that we are in the Baltics. Some nations have certain capabilities, other nations have other capabilities and by putting them together we help each other out.”
