The German Air Force, deployed to Romania, are helping to secure NATO’s eastern flank skies as part of NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission.
German Eurofighter Typhoons arrived in August 2025 at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base to begin their rotation. Under the enhanced Air Policing mission, the fighters and their pilots stand a 24-hour watch, ready to launch within 15 minutes of alert.
Air Policing is a peacetime activity intended to preserve the safety and security of Allied airspace. NATO air traffic controllers may order an interception if they detect an unknown aircraft skirting by or entering Allied airspace. Often, this is a civilian aircraft with a faulty transponder or broken communications equipment. Often, however, Russian military aircraft will pass by Allied airspace without responding to radio calls or otherwise identifying themselves. In September, Russian MiG-31 fighters brazenly violated Estonian airspace, only leaving under the escort of Italian Air Force fighters on an Air Policing rotation.
While the Romanian Air Force has supersonic fighter jets capable of intercepting an aircraft, NATO Allies deploy rotations of fighters to supplement their capabilities. With more jets on alert, Romania is safer, and NATO is more secure.
Footage includes shots of air crew, jets taking off and landing plus soundbites from Detachment Commander Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Kötting, German Air Force, and a German Air Force pilot who goes by the call sign ‘Tenne’.
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