As newswire BNS learned from Lithuania’s Defense Ministry spokesperson Ieva Gulbiniene, four of Norway’s F-16s will join Italy’s current squadron of Eurofighter Typhoon jets, as Poland’s MiG-19 destroyers will have completed their three-month term backing up the Italian pilots in the BAP service.
Also changing guard at the Amaari airbase in Estonia will be Great Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoons replacing the currently serving Spanish contingent.
On their part, Belgian pilots will take up station at Poland’s Malborg airbase with their F-16s.
Up until last spring, when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, NATO had been rotating its patrols since March of 2004. However in response to Russia’s increasing military aggressions, the number of planes in the BAP mission was increased and patrols were launched from the Polish and Estonian airbases as well.
