The Polish Air Force will be patrolling the Baltic skies for four next months as off November 30. Poland has taken over the NATO Air Policing Mission command as it has rotated in instead of the previous Danish and Portuguese air detachments.
“The Polish leadership in the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission today is particularly important and symbolic: we are facing a hybrid attack on the border with Belarus together, however, despite the range of attempts on the security in the region, we have a history of standing strong and united. I was telling the Danish and Portuguese air detachment jus several months ago that NA presence in the region was also important because of the strategic exercise, Zapad 2021. The exercise has now ended, yet we have no fewer challenges. Russia is concerning us by amassing forces near the borders with Ukraine. Russian military aircraft are likely to continue defying aviation safety rules. So, the mission will not be easier to the Polish Air Force detachment than before. I am certain, however, that the participation of NATO allies and their professionalism will continue ensuring the stability that our region needs badly,” Vice Minister of National Defence Vilius Semeška said at the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission handover ceremony in Šiauliai.
The outgoing military personnel of Denmark and Portugal were patrolling the airspace over the eastern flank of NATO with eight F-16 Fighting Falcon. They were guarding the Baltic airspace, scrambled to identify and escort military aircraft of the Russian Federation when they dangerously approached in the international airspace over the Baltic Sea, and practiced together with colleagues from Lithuanian Armed Forces units thus enhancing cohesion.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express a heartfelt gratitude to the servicemembers of Denmark and Portugal for their excellent service. Your detachments have been excellent in guarding the airspace over the easternmost Alliance borders. Have a safe journey home and merry Christmas with your loved ones,” said Vice Minister fare-welling the allies.
The Polish Air Force is an active contributor to the efforts to ensure regional security and deterrence: this is going to be its 10th NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states that it flies. The latest Polish rotation will number up to 150 personnel: pilots, engineers, paramedics, support elements, specialists of communications and other areas, and four F-16 fighter jets. The NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states will be enhanced by the Belgian Air Component Detachment with another four F-16s the air base in Estonia.
The air capabilities deployed to the Baltic states to conduct the NATO Air Policing Mission carry out alert scrambles to identify and escort Russian aircraft which very often disregard the International Civil Aviation Organization recommended practices and do not have flight plans or do not use the onboard transponders, or do not maintain radio contact with the regional air traffic control centres.
NATO allies began deploying military personnel and air assets to safeguard the Baltic airspace in March 2004, as soon as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia joined NATO. Since then, 14 NATO allies have deployed NATO Air Policing Mission rotations to the Baltic states without any vacant periods. The Polish Air Forces Detachment will be conducting the 58th rotation since the start of the mission in 2004.
Photo credits: A. Gedrimas
