Two scramble take-offs in 24 hours for the 4th Wing TFA in Poland
Malbork 29 MAR 2024
Within 24 hours, the scramble alarm for the Eurofighter aircraft of the Task Force Air 4th Wing, deployed at the Polish base of Malbork, it rang twice.
The activation was requested to intercept on the mornings of 28 and 29 March an unidentified aircraft flying over the international waters of the Baltic Sea. Following this, the Air Operations Command and Control Centre (CAOCof the NATO based in Uedem (Germany) has raised the alarm.
The aeroplanes of’Italian Air Force Italians belonging to the TFA – operating within the framework of the NATO Enhanced Air Policing mission – proceeded to intercept and identify the aircraft, before returning to Malbork base.
The Air Task Force “4th Wing” deploys four Eurofighter (F-2000) aircraft from four air defence wings of the Italian Air Force: the 4th Wing of Grosseto, 36th Wing of Gioia del Colle, 37th Stormo of Trapani and the 51st Wing of the’Istrana. Thanks to these aircraft, it is possible to ensure that any suspicious target detected by radar is intercepted within minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Italian contingent, operating under the direct national command of the COVI (Joint Operations Headquarters), it is made up of women and men from the Italian Air Force coming from Flight Groups as well as technical and logistical personnel, deployed at Malbork Krolewo air base, who operate alongside the Polish Air Force to protect the north-eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance. This is the second time that an Italian contingent has been deployed to Poland on enhanced Air Policing (eAP) operations.
Enhanced Air Policing (eAP)
Enhanced Air Policing (AP) is a NATO-led collective defence mission conducted continuously in peacetime, 365 days a year. Specifically for the TFA-P “White Eagle”, led by the 4th Wing, its purpose is to ensure the integrity and security of Poland's airspace, thereby contributing to the strengthening of the deterrence posture on NATO's north-eastern flank.
Air policing missions are conducted under the command and control of one of the two Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs), located respectively in Uedem (Germany) for the northern area and Torrejon (Spain) for the southern area, under the supervision of Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) in Ramstein (Germany). The TFA – P in particular operates under the command and control of the CAOC in Uedem (Germany).
Air policing is conducted even in peacetime and consists of the continuous surveillance of the integrity of NATO airspace as well as the identification of any violations of its integrity, in response to which appropriate countermeasures must be taken, such as, for example, the rapid launch of interceptor fighter jets, which in technical terms is defined as a “scramble”.
