Türkiye to deploy F-16s to Estonia for NATO’s
The Turkish Air Force will once again contribute to NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission by deploying five F-16 fighter jets and 76 personnel from the 181st Jet Squadron Command, also known as Panther Squadron, to Amari Air Base in Estonia.
The contingent, based at the 8th Main Jet Base Command in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, will serve from August through November, maintaining round-the-clock quick reaction alert (QRA) duties to respond to potential airspace violations over the Baltic region.
Speaking to Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency, before the deployment, a senior official from the command described air policing as a peacetime air defense mission carried out under NATO to safeguard allied airspace.
He noted that the Baltic Air Policing mission is specifically designed to protect the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which do not operate fighter aircraft of their own.
