Four Polish Mig-29’s Reinforce NATO Contingent in Lithuania

Four MiG-29 fighters of the Polish Air Force have landed at the Lithuanian Air Force base at Šiauliai to join the Baltic Air Policing Mission.

The Polish contribution is intended to reinforce the mission carried out by an Italian air contingent.

Poland’s military will be ensuring the security of the Baltic airspace for the sixth time. The country conducted its most recent rotation of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission in May-August 2014 as the lead nation of the mission.

Italian troops deployed with four Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets in Šiauliai to take charge as the current rotation of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission on 1 January.

NATO has been sending troops and air assets to guard the eastern border of NATO since March 2004, when Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia entered the alliance. Military personnel of 15 NATO allies have already taken part in the mission since then. The current rotation carried out by the Italian-Polish contingent is the 37th rotation since the beginning of the mission.

The NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission is also currently deployed in Estonia and Poland, so the current rotation of the mission will also be carried out by the Spanish with Eurofighter Typhoons from the Amari Air Base in Estonia and Belgian soldiers with F-16s from Malbork, Poland.

Allies have been contributing additional air assets to the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission to carry out NATO reassurance measures since April 2014.