With the last activation on Thursday 24 September, there are already eight scrambles that the Italian TFA, deployed on the Lithuanian base of Siauliai, has had to manage since it reached full operational capacity on 8 September last. .
Activation of EFA aircraft in Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) had already been needed on seven other occasions, again for the identification of aircraft that were flying over the Baltic skies.
The Italian aircraft, which took off in a few minutes, reached the area of interest and, in accordance with NATO procedures, carried out the identification of the assets.
Scramble is an operational activity that consists in activating a pair of fighter aircraft for take-off in order to identify and possibly intercept one or more unknown aircraft in the shortest possible time, in order to protect the integrity of the Alliance skies .
The Italian Air Force participates continuously in theInterim Air Policing of Slovenia, since 2004, of Albania, since 2009, of Montenegro since 2018, and has already been involved in Lithuania in 2015, as well as having worked in missions of Enhanced Air Policing in favor of the member countries of the eastern flank such as Bulgaria, Romania and Estonia.
In the latter case it was a matter of strengthening the airspace surveillance activity, thus reducing costs and maximizing efficiency, mainly with the use of Eurofighters thyphoon.
The “Baltic Thunder” TFA deployed in Siauliai uses Eurofighter aircraft thyphoon of the 4th, 36th and 37th wing of the Italian Air Force.
