RAF Typhoons begin NATO Air Policing mission in Lithuania
Royal Air Force Typhoon jets will be in Lithuania for the summer, patrolling and protecting NATO airspace.
An RAF Typhoon FGR-4 from RAF Lossiemouth arrives at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania. MOD Crown Copyright.
The aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland will be stationed at the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania for the UK바카라 사이트™s latest contribution to the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission.
Alongside F-18 fighters from the Spanish Air Force, the RAF Typhoons will fly over Baltic skies to deter any threats to NATO Allies바카라 사이트™ airspace. They will safely monitor and investigate any aircraft flying near Lithuanian airspace with transponders switched off or without a flight plan.
Around 150 RAF personnel 바카라 사이트“ together forming 135 Expeditionary Air Wing 바카라 사이트“ have deployed to Lithuania for the mission. All necessary measures have been taken to ensure that both UK and Lithuanian mandated COVID-19 precautions have been followed. The deployment, known as Operation Azotize, is a core defence task that the RAF is able to complete without impacting the military바카라 사이트™s ongoing support to the UK 바카라 사이트바카라 사이트™s COVID-19 response.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
Britain바카라 사이트™s adversaries will not let Covid-19 stop them threatening our citizens and allies. It is for that reason the UK Armed Forces continue their operations at home and abroad 바카라 사이트“ ensuring the collective defence of NATO and our national security.
This summer바카라 사이트™s deployment is the latest example of the UK바카라 사이트™s enduring and active commitment to Euro-Atlantic security, the bedrock of which is the NATO Alliance.
In nearby Estonia, over 800 British Army personnel stand sentinel on NATO바카라 사이트™s eastern flank as the lead of the country바카라 사이트™s NATO enhanced Forward Presence multinational battlegroup.
Last summer the RAF also deployed to Estonia for Baltic Air Policing, where Typhoons from RAF Coningsby conducted a total of 21 interceptions of 56 Russian aircraft over the course of four months. Previous RAF contributions to the mission occurred in 2016 in Estonia and 2014 in Lithuania.
Additionally, the RAF supported NATO Southern Air Policing in Romania in 2018 and NATO Icelandic Air Policing last year.