Latvia has been hosting German interceptors at the Lielvārde airbase since the Spring, while upgrade work was carried out at the Ämari airbase in Estonia which usually hosts the NATO deployment in tandem with the Šiauliai airbase in Lithuania.
Allies take turns deploying to air bases at Šiauliai, Lithuania and Ämari, Estonia, on a four-month rotational basis, ready to be launched by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem, Germany if required. The Air Forces of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia contribute to the mission with host nation support in the form of air command and control infrastructure and personnel.
A ceremony will take place at Lielvārde Wednesday to mark the departure of the jets.
"This nine-month rotation in Latvia has proven that the Lielvārde base is fully adapted to the deployment of fighter jets. The NATO patrol mission strengthens Baltic airspace and ensures its protection, regardless of where the aircraft are based. At the same time, taking into account the increasing frequency of NATO airspace violations, it is necessary to promote the presence of allies in Latvia both through increased deterrence activities and through the implementation of an active NATO air defense rotation model," said Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds.
During the time NATO's Baltic airspace patrol mission has been in Latvia from March to November, fighter jets were scrambled from the Lielvārde base 54 times, according to the Ministry of Defense.
When the Baltic air patrol returns to Estonia's renovated Ämari base, Dutch F-35 fighter jets will be deployed in December.
Since 2004 patrols have been carried out from the Šiauliai airbase in Lithuania, and since 2014 the support mission has also been carried out from the Ämari base. This was the first time that a mission rotation was based in Latvia, and will have provided valuable experience and proof that Lielvārde is fully capable of operating as a base for advanced military aircraft.
As Russia continues its war in Ukraine, allied fighter jets stationed in the Baltic States not only respond to the illegal entry of Russian military aircraft into the airspace of the Baltic States, and dangerous flights by Russian planes flying without transponders turned on in international airspace, but also patrol allied airspace near the Russian-Belarusian border.
