Synopsis
NATO has deployed three E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance aircraft to Bucharest, Romania to support NATO’s reinforced presence in the region and monitor Russian military activity.
The AWACS aircraft can monitor and detect aircraft hundreds of kilometres away, making them ideally suited to help guard Allied airspace. Since Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, NATO has reinforced its presence in eastern Europe, including with the establishment of new multinational battlegroups and enhanced air defence systems as well as the deployment of additional fighters, surveillance aircraft and tankers. In the event of a crisis, AWACS jets would give these assets crucial situational awareness, helping them defend Allied territory.
The aircraft arrived in Bucharest on 17 January 2023, and the deployment will last several weeks. They belong to a fleet of 14 NATO AWACS aircraft based in Geilenkirchen, Germany.
Footage includes shots of AWACS aircraft flying a surveillance patrol over Romania, as well as interviews with German Air Force Major Christian Brett and Belgian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Denis.
Transcript
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - AWACS AIRCRAFT STATIC ON BUCHAREST HENRI COANDA AIRFIELD
(00:35) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - REAR OF AWACS AIRCRAFT STATIC ON BUCHAREST HENRI COANDA AIRFIELD
(00:50) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - AWACS AIRCRAFT STATIC ON BUCHAREST HENRI COANDA AIRFIELD
(01:30) - VARIOUS (TIMELAPSE) - TROOPS BOARDING AWACS AIRCRAFT STATIC ON BUCHAREST HENRI COANDA AIRFIELD
(01:47) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - TROOPS BOARDING AWACS AIRCRAFT STATIC ON BUCHAREST HENRI COANDA AIRFIELD
(01:58) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - TROOPS CONDUCTING PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS INSIDE AWACS AIRCRAFT COCKPIT
(02:34) - WIDE - AWACS AIRCRAFT TAKE-OFF INSIDE THE COCKPIT
(02:42) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - TROOPS MONITORING RADAR SCREEN INSIDE AWACS AIRCRAFT
(03:07) - CLOSE UP - CLOSE OF RADAR SCREEN
(03:15) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - TROOPS MONITORING RADAR SCREEN INSIDE AWACS AIRCRAFT
(04:06) - WIDE - AWACS TACTICAL OFFICER COMMANDER USING COMPUTER
(04:12) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - TROOP CONDUCTING ELECTRICAL CHECKS
(04:25) - VARIOUS (WIDE) - TROOPS INSIDE AWACS AIRCRAFT COCKPIT CONDUCTING PRE-DESCEND CHECKS
(04:57) - WIDE - AWACS AIRCRAFT LANDING ON BUCHAREST HENRI COANDA RUNWAY
(05:14) SOUNDBITE (English) – German Air Force Major Christian Brett, Public Affairs Officer
“Since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, we conduct these kinds of surveillance flights over the eastern flank of NATO. We increased our flying hours since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, to provide NATO commanders and HQ with the best possible information of what’s happening on the ground and in the air. This a sign of NATO’s vigilance and readiness to defend every inch of NATO territory.”
(05:47) - SOUNDBITE (English) Belgian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Denis, AWACS tactical officer
“So the AWACS is basically a flying command and control station. It has a radar on board. It has also lots of capabilities of detection on board, and it has lots of radios. So we can basically collect a lot of information and distribute that information to the partners we have. That could be airborne partners, but also about partners on the ground.”
(06:11) - SOUNDBITE (English) Belgian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Denis, AWACS tactical officer
“So with our radar, we can detect far away and we will be establishing a recognised radar picture. What is it like? That radar picture is basically everything that is flying in our area of responsibility will be identified. That means that we know who is who and who is flying there. And once we have that radar picture, we distribute it to our partners using data links, but also communicating with the partners, using the radios that we have on board. Those radios can be classified radios. That means that we can talk securely with our partners. We also have the capability to detect ships and establish a surface picture and exchange that surface picture to the ground as well. Once we have that radar picture, we can also control aircraft in our area of responsibility. So basically, you can compare us to a flying control station by establishing a radar picture and controlling aircraft that we have in our area of responsibility.”
(07:22) SOUNDBITE (English) Belgian Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Denis, AWACS tactical officer
“The strategic importance of NATO AWACS here in the eastern flank of the Alliance is that we have a long range of detection towards the east, and we are basically an airborne early warning for the eastern flank of the Alliance, giving a lot of time in advance when we detect something to launch eventually aircraft that are under alert, and control them. And in the event that it would be required, we could intervene by protecting the eastern flank of the Alliance.”
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