Hunting since September Typhoon of the 36th wing of the Air Force, together with the German ones, will be deployed in Lithuania and Estonia and will have the task of monitoring the airspace of the Baltic States. They will replace their French, Spanish and British colleagues, the air surveillance mission will be Italian-led with duties of Air Policing.
These operations are carried out under the responsibility of NATO's Allied Command Operation, ACO (Allied Command Operation) based in Brussels and coordinated by the Ramstein Air Command in Germany.
The mission of Air Policing it is necessary because some NATO members cannot have assets capable of guaranteeing the defense of airspace, according to the specifications required by the Alliance. Therefore, the other countries adhering to the Pact undertake, in rotation, to integrate its defense.
Furthermore, the Air Force has been involved in the defense of the skies of Slovenia since 2004, since 2009 of the Albanian ones (this should already help to keep the Turks away from this country, even if, obviously, a foreign policy would be needed. Italy) and Montenegrins since 2018.
It is clear that, in recent years, NATO has decided to implement joint air surveillance activities over Eastern Europe, in order to increasingly integrate aircraft assets and reduce logistical costs.
Photo: Aeronautica Militare archive
