Portuguese fighter pilots securing Baltic skies from an airbase in Estonia.
Synopsis
The Portuguese Air Force is securing the skies over and around Estonia as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.
Fighter pilots and aircrew arrived at Ämari Air Base in late May, replacing an earlier Portuguese detachment that began its duties in April and assuming responsibility for their four F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets. That deployment was the first time Portuguese fighters have operated out of Estonia.
Because the Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – lack supersonic fighters capable of conducting interceptions, NATO Allies provide jets on a rotating basis. Based in Lithuania with an additional detachment in Estonia,...
