Six USAF F-35 Deployed to Baltic and Black Sea Region to Support NATO's Eastern Flank

Six U.S. F-35A Lightning II fighter jets deployed from Germany to multiple countries on NATO’s eastern flank on Thursday for air policing flights in solidarity with the transatlantic alliance. 

They’ll disperse alongside F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15 Eagle fighter jets across Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania, U.S. Air Forces in Europe said. 

The presence of the Air Force’s most advanced fighter jet signals a swift response if Russia expands its offensive outside Ukraine’s borders and into NATO countries. The F-35A can act as a quarterback to pass targeting information and other data between other U.S. and NATO fighters in the region, should the alliance need to react quickly to Russian aggression. The six F-35As come after the Defense Department promised on Tuesday to send up to eight Lightning IIs that had arrived at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany from Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Two of the F-35 jets arrived in Estonia, two arrived in Lithuania and two arrived in Romania. The aircraft are in operation from Estonia’s Amari Air Base, Lithuania’s Siauliai Air Base, and Romania’s Fetesti Air Base. 

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