Türkiye deploys five F-16 jets to Estonia for NATO Air Policing mission

Türkiye has deployed five F-16 fighter jets and their crews to Estonia as part of NATO's Air Policing mission, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced on Thursday, AFP reported, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

"As part of NATO's enhanced Air Policing mission, the deployment of five F-16 aircraft and their personnel to Ämari Air Base in Estonia, where they will be stationed from August 1 to November 30, 2026, has been completed," the ministry said.

"During this mission, our units will contribute to the security of Baltic airspace as part of NATO's joint air defense activities," the ministry added, noting that Türkiye will officially take over the mission from Portugal on Friday.

The Baltic states, former Soviet republics that are now members of the NATO alliance and share long borders with Russia, have experienced an increasing number of airspace intrusions and drone crashes since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

French NATO Rafale fighter jets stationed in the Baltic states shot down a stray drone in Latvia in early June, AFP noted.

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