German and Belgian fighters on NATO mission in Estonia

At the end of February 2022, NATO’s commitment to safeguarding the airspace above all its Allies by means of NATO Air Policing has been supplemented by an additional defensive posture in response to Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war in Ukraine: NATO enhanced Vigilance Activities (eVA) and – more recently – Air Shielding. Both Germany and Belgium are good examples of both Allied activities that are carried out from the same air base in Ämari, Estonia.

.@Team_Luftwaffe 🇩🇪and @BeAirForce 🇧🇪 have been long-standing supporters of #NATO’s mission safeguarding the Baltic skies in 🇪🇪. German Eurofighters are flying enhanced Air Policing missions while 6 Belgian F-16s are also deployed at Ämari supporting NATO’s Air Shielding mission pic.twitter.com/zsr2UHkAhu

— NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) October 24, 2022

German Eurofighters arrived in Estonia at the beginning of August, and they are a familiar sight to Estonian skies. “Every year since the fall of 2014, the German Air Force has sent Eurofighters to Ämari; this year again, for a period of eight months, we demonstrate the collective resolve of Allies and the defensive nature of NATO Air Policing,” said Lieutenant Colonel Georg Hummel, German detachment commander. Since their arrival, the Eurofighters were launched on more than a dozen alert scrambles to safeguard the skies and protect the territorial integrity of the Baltic Allies.

A Belgian F-16 detachment finished their enhanced Air Policing deployment at the end of March and swapped its mission to contribute to eVA for several weeks. From October 3 to November 4, the Belgian jets now provide an additional capability to support NATO’s deterrence and defence posture out of Ämari.

“We conduct training missions which maximise integration and interoperability with our Allies; and we are ready to respond to possible airspace violations and deter aggression,” said Belgian Detachment Commander, Major Aviator Tanguy Frippiat. “Currently, we are operating at a rate of eight sorties a day, showing NATO presence in the region,” he added.

NATO Air Policing mission is an enduring 24/7 standby mission that foresees the launch of fighter jets to intercept and identify aircraft both civilian and military that present a potential threat to NATO territorial security and integrity

Within the framework of eVA and Air Shielding, additional NATO fighters, intelligence aircraft, refuellers and ground-based air defence systems are deployed along the eastern flank by rotation or temporarily to support the Alliance’s Deter and Defend Posture. Both activities provide a robust collective capability and deliver constant vigilance across NATO airspace.

The assets Allies deployed under NATO Air Shielding enable an increased and sustainable air and missile defence posture along NATO’s eastern flank. Designed to shield NATO territory against possible air and missile threats, Air Shielding is fully incorporated into the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence system.