Poland, Great Britain and Denmark have provided 12 fighters in total which will replace the ten American F-15C Eagle that will return to the RAF base in Lakenheath, England. The mission will last four months.
In addition, the French government has also decided to send four fighters to Poland to replace the MiG-29 that Warsaw has deployed in the Baltic countries.
The "Baltic mission" normally involves four fighters provided by a single NATO nation as a rapid reaction force to intercept unidentified or suspected aircraft in the Baltic airspace area. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have fighters capable of patrolling their airspace.
According to a press release from NATO, Polish and British fighters will fly from Siauliai airport, in Lithuania. Danish planes will operate from the Amari air base in Estonia. Finally, the French jets were deployed at the Malbork airport in Poland.
According to data provided by NATO, in the 2012, even before the crisis broke out in Crimea, unidentified fighters violated the airspace of the Baltic region well 46 times.
Franco Iacch
(photo: Royal Canadian Air Force)
