Turkey to send five F-16s to Estonia for NATO mission
Turkey will send five F-16 fighters and 76 servicemen from the 181st squadron to Estonia to participate in the NATO mission to patrol the airspace of the Baltic countries (Baltic Air Policing).
"This mission has great strategic importance within the framework of the defense of NATO's eastern flank. It will make an important contribution to strengthening Turkey's international deterrence capabilities, interaction with allied forces and increasing strategic potential," Turkish Air Force Lt. Col. Ozdemir told Anadolu agency.
The mission, which will take place on a rotational basis from August to November, involves patrolling the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which do not have their own fighters.
In December, Bloomberg reported that NATO had asked Turkey to provide F-16 fighters to patrol the airspace of the Baltic countries several months earlier than planned. It was claimed that the alliance intends to use the fighters in the Baltic Air Policing mission and conduct a rotation in Estonia in the period from August to December 2026. The Turkish Air Force patrolled the airspace of Poland from July 6 to September 15, 2021, and Romania from November 30, 2023, to April 2, 2024.
