Two Spanish Eurofighter.
The Diplomat. Madrid
The Spanish Air Force begins a new overseas mission tomorrow, which will last for the first quarter of 2016, and whose objective is the preservation of the integrity of Lithuanian airspace, deploying four Ala-14 Eurofighter jets, normally headquartered at the Albacete Base.
The deployment is part of the support operation being provided by NATO to the three Baltic countries to prevent Russian incursions. The aircraft will be deployed from the Siauliai Base in Lithuania where they will act as the lead nation in these air-policing missions in Baltic countries’ airspace. To do so, the Vilkas Tactical Air Detachment has been set up, integrating all the assigned national forces plus the liaison officials in the command and control structures appointed by NATO.
Spain will be deploying a total of 250 personnel over the four months duration of the mission. Some of the personnel left at the end of December to join up with Italy. Once on Lithuanian soil, the installation and operation of machinery will begin. The deployment will be completed at the beginning of January with the arrival of the remainder of the personnel and, finally, with the arrival of the Eurofighter jets.
