Following the recent agreements concerning NATO Assurance Mesasures, joined NATO Air Policing Force offering, the Airspace within which the Air Force jets are called to intervene in these days includes, in addition to the national one, also that of Slovenia (on a permanent basis), Albania (on a rotational basis with Greece) and - from January 2018 for a duration of 4 months - that of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. In particular, for this latter operation, called "Enhanced Air Policing North - Baltic Eagle", four Eurofighter aircraft were deployed at the Amari air base (EST), which involves the use of men and vehicles subjected to particularly severe environmental situations . For a single Alliance country, it is a true record to guarantee the defense of the skies of six European nations and the safety of their citizens at the same time.
To this record is also added another all-Italian milestone, namely that of being the only NATO country to have ensured the interim Airspace Defense device of the four Air Policing: Slovenia, Albania, Iceland and the Baltic Republics.
Il Combat Force Command, which depends on Air Force Command, ensures that the personnel employed are ready to better face the inherent challenges of such operations and ensures the necessary support so that the operation is always guaranteed to 100% -24 / 7, to safeguard the integrity and security of NATO Airspace , controlled by the CAOC (Combined Air Operation Center) of Torrejon and Uedem.
Training and use manuals, tactics, techniques and procedures have been revised and developed ad hoc, as part of the renewal plan called Aeronautics 4.0, to ensure the fulfillment of the assigned mission efficiently and effectively. The last interventions in February, carried out with positive results by the Italian pilots, demonstrated the validity of the programs in place and lay solid foundations for the search for further innovative and advanced solutions.
