USS Truman joins NATO effort in air policing patrols over Eastern Europe
Fighter jets from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman are conducting airborne patrols with NATO allied air forces in U.S. 6th Fleet.
NATO has nearly doubled the number of military jets on alert across Europe amid concerns that Russia’s reckless flying in international airspace could escalate alongside its war in Ukraine.
Strike Fighter Squadrons 11, 34, 81 and 211, and Electronic Attack Squadron 137, from embarked Carrier Air Wing 1 kicked off a variety of missions, including NATO enhanced air policing, to bolster the security alliance in late February, a 6th Fleet spokesperson told Navy Times. The airborne patrols commenced Feb. 24 and are ongoing.
USAF F-35s conduct air policing operations out of Baltic countries
U.S. Air Force F-35As are conducting flight operations out of Lithuania and Estonia — along with fighter jets from the Royal Danish and Polish air forces — to secure the skies over Baltic allies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Six Lightning IIs with the 34th Fighter Squadron out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah, forward deployed from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to NATO’s eastern flank Feb. 24 to augment the alliance’s air policing mission, just one day after Russia invaded Ukraine.
NATO released video Tuesday of F-35s conducting flight operations at Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania. Other Lightning IIs are deployed to Ämari Air Base in Estonia and Feteşti Air Base in Romania.
Operating alongside F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-15 Eagle fighter jets, the F-35s are tasked with ensuring no illegal or threatening air traffic is present in NATO territory, a tall order as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine.
No comments:
Post a Comment