The Italian Air Force has officially joined France in NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltics, marking a continued multinational effort to safeguard the region’s airspace.
A handover ceremony took place on Thursday, November 28, at the Lithuanian Armed Forces Air Base in Šiauliai, as French personnel and a new Italian contingent assumed responsibility for the mission.
The mission, reported by Lithuanian broadcaster LRT and confirmed by Vaidas Urbelis, Director of the Defense Policy Department at the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, involves patrolling the skies over Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
The Italian Air Force will operate Eurofighter Typhoon jets, following in the footsteps of their predecessors, and will work alongside the French Air Force, which has deployed Rafale fighter jets. Together, the two countries will oversee Baltic airspace with a total of eight fighter jets for the next four months.
“Reliable protection of NATO airspace in the Baltic States is a key element of deterrence and defense. I thank our allies, the Italians and the French, for their commitment to the security of our region,” Urbelis stated.
This deployment marks the seventh time Italy has participated in the Baltic air policing mission and the eighth time for France. NATO members have shared the responsibility for patrolling the airspace of the Baltic States since 2004, when Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia joined the Alliance.
