“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has increased our focus on the security environment in the Baltic Sea region,” said acting NATO Spokesperson Dylan White. “Our AWACS can detect aircraft and missiles hundreds of kilometres away, making them a key early warning capability for NATO. I thank Lithuania for hosting the aircraft. This is an important contribution to our shared security,” White added.
.@NATOAWACS deploys temporarily to Šiauliai in 🇱🇹
2 aircraft will be deployed for several weeks to support the Alliance’s reinforced presence in the Baltics 🇱🇻🇪🇪🇱🇹 & monitor Russian 🇷🇺 military activity#alwaysvigilant @NATO @NATOpress @Lithuanian_MoD @LV_NATO @MoD_Estonia pic.twitter.com/pcOSRYlQ8R
— NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) September 28, 2023
In response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, NATO has boosted its air presence in the eastern part of the Alliance using fighter jets, surveillance planes and tankers. In the wake of Russian drone strikes near NATO territory, the United States has deployed additional fighter aircraft to Romania to enhance NATO’s air policing mission. Since February 2022, NATO AWACS have conducted hundreds of patrols over Eastern and Northern Europe to monitor Russian warplanes.
The AWACS aircraft will start their reconnaissance flights over Alliance territory in the coming days. The mission is scheduled to last several weeks. The aircraft belong to a fleet of 14 NATO-owned surveillance aircraft based in Geilenkirchen, Germany. Around 150 military personnel will deploy to Šiauliai in support of the aircraft.
