“Change of the guard among the aircraft of”Italian Air Force employed within the scope of the mission NATO Enhanced Air Policing (EAP) which contributes to the surveillance and defence of the Alliance's Eastern Flank.
The handover ceremony marked the end of the Task Group Lightning mission, which operated for two months in Estonia with F-35 aircraft.
During the mission, over 150 sorties and 300 flight hours were carried out, with numerous interceptions of unidentified aircraft.
This is the third time that the Air Force has deployed personnel and equipment to Estonia, and it is the second time that F-35 aircraft have participated in NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission on the easternmost flank of the Atlantic Alliance.
The mission will continue with the Eurofighters, maintaining its capabilities unchanged and confirming Italy's commitment to the collective security of the Atlantic Alliance.
With the’Operation “Baltic Eagle III”, the Air Force contributes to the safeguarding of the airspace of the Baltic Republics, within the framework of the NATO enhanced Air Policing mission, the objective of which is to preserve Allied airspace, ensuring the related training needs of the country.
The Air Task Force is deployed at Ämari Airport, a few kilometres from Tallinn. It previously employed F-35A aircraft from the 32nd Wing of Amendola and the 6th Wing of Ghedi, but these have now been replaced by Eurofighter Typhoon multirole aircraft from the 4th Wing of Grosseto, the 36th Wing of Gioia del Colle, the 37th Wing of Trapani and the 51st Wing of Istrana. The Task Force also employed the Gulfstream G550 CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning) aircraft from the 14th Wing for air surveillance, search and control duties, and the SAMP/T missile system from the Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command of Sabaudia, for protection against aerial threats.
