Turkish Air Force takes over NATO's newly upgraded Baltic air defense mission in Estonia
Turkey's air force has been deployed to Estonia for the first time to participate in NATO's newly transformed Baltic air defense mission and will patrol the airspace for the next four months.
At last month's NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, it was decided that the two-decade-old Baltic air policing monitoring mission in Estonia and Lithuania would evolve into an air defense mission from August 1.
The new mission makes it possible to counter aerial attacks by employing NATO's integrated air defense system.
"This should ensure that if, for example, the threat picture changes and there is a need to rapidly bring in additional forces, that will be done. Likewise, all the necessary pre-authorizations for making all possible decisions have already been completed as far in advance as possible," Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said on Friday.
The four-month rotation timetable for NATO allies has already been agreed upon for the next three years. The minister said air forces are unlikely to get bored, as few regions have similar conditions.
"Under previous practice, once, twice, even three times a week they have to go and identify aircraft from a country that is not friendly toward us. In their home countries, as a rule, and if we are talking primarily about, for example, Portugal or Spain, which have served here, or Germany as well, they do not have to constantly identify Russian reconnaissance aircraft or Russian fighter jets flying nearby. The visual contact you get with a Russian fighter jet is not something you can experience in Portugal. Therefore, every country that comes here is certainly in a somewhat special situation," Pevkur told ERR.
The Turkish Air Force contingent at Ämari consists of nearly 80 personnel, including 10 pilots. Five F-16 fighter jets are on round-the-clock standby for takeoff.
"Of course, we are proud to be here under NATO. Our aim and goal is to protect NATO airspace, identify threats in this region, and maintain strong air deterrence," Turkish Air Force pilot Lieutenant Atila Özdemir said.
On Friday, mission medals were awarded to the Portuguese Air Force personnel who flew the last air policing mission in Baltic airspace. Lt. Col. Katrin Tõugjas, commander of the Ämari Air Base, thanked the Portuguese for their "outstanding cooperation" and welcomed the new Turkish contingent.
The Turkish Air Force's deployment will end in November. The Italians took over the mission in Lithuania.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Mari Peegel
