Because Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own air defense, NATO protects the Baltic airspace. Five German Eurofighters have been stationed in Estonia for this purpose since August. Now the fighter jets are to go on a mission together with the British Royal Air Force.
Great Britain and Germany will jointly monitor the airspace over the NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania bordering Russia. The combined operation of the German Air Force and the British Royal Air Force in Estonia is to begin today, Monday, as the two sides announced. The so-called fully integrated operation with armed and unarmed protection and training flights is said to be the first of its kind. German and British Eurofighters are to patrol the sky in mixed groups, as a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said on request.
In August 2022, Germany took over the so-called "NATO Air Policing Baltic States" - for a total of nine months. For this purpose, five Eurofighters and around 150 German soldiers are stationed at the Ämari military airport. In March, they are to secure the airspace together with the British Air Force for the first time before Great Britain takes over the lead from Germany in April. According to the spokesman, the interlinked flight operations and the joint support of the machines reduce the technical and logistical effort for both NATO partners. The interoperability also increases the value of use.
"Today is an important first for our two air forces. We have been working together for a while, but our cooperation has now reached a new level," said a British commander involved, Scott Maccoll, according to a statement from London. "It remains a great pleasure to work with our German allies in all aspects of our mission - from maintenance and repair of the jets to planning and logistics."
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own air defenses. That is why NATO has been protecting the Baltic airspace since 2004. To this end, the allies are regularly relocating fighter jets and personnel to the Baltic Sea states in north-eastern Europe. "The main task is to identify and escort Russian military aircraft," said the Defense Ministry spokesman. Germany is currently taking on the task in Ämari for the ninth time.
