France deploys four fighter jets to Lithuania to protect Baltic airspace
France will deploy four Rafale fighter jets to Lithuania from Saturday, the French defense ministry said on Friday, as part of a four-month mission to protect the Baltic states’ airspace.
The deployment is part of NATO’s Baltic Air Police mission, which has been in place since 2004, when Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which do not have fighter jets, joined the alliance.
A French defense ministry statement said the four fighter jets and about 100 French air force personnel would be stationed at the Šiauliai base in Lithuania.
France is carrying out this mission for NATO in the Baltic states for the twelfth time since 2004, this time taking over from a Spanish contingent.
This mission was strengthened in 2014 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, with the launch of the Enhanced Air Police mission, which now includes the deployment of two additional units.
In the coming months, Romanian aircraft will also be deployed to Šiauliai, while Portuguese aircraft will be stationed at the Amare base in Estonia.
NATO fighter jets are often forced to intercept Russian fighter jets approaching the alliance’s airspace.
