Tallinn. June 29. INTERFAX - Two-day exercises of the air forces of NATO countries and their partners Ramstein Alloy started in the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Tuesday, the main purpose of which is to test the security of the Baltic airspace.
The key role in the exercises is assigned to the Estonian Air Force and the Amari Air Base, the press service of the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces reported.
The exercises, which are held three times a year, work out communication and control procedures, as well as various flight safety procedures. Actions in case of loss of communication, aircraft tracking, detection of slow-moving aircraft and search and rescue operations will be practiced.
In addition to Italian and Spanish fighters based in Estonian Emari and Lithuanian Shauliai, Finnish, German, Polish, Spanish and Turkish pilots will take part in the exercises. In total, more than 20 aircraft are involved. In the sky over the Baltic Sea, there will be a NATO AWACS E-3 long-range detection and airspace control aircraft.
"The team of the UEDem Joint Air Operations Control Center, the host country Estonia and other participating countries have once again compiled a complex training program that unites our air surveillance personnel with allies and partners in a difficult environment," said Lieutenant General Klaus Habersetzer, Commander of the NATO Joint Air Operations Control Center.
According to him, "regular training and cooperation with our regional allies and partners are necessary to ensure the effective protection of the Baltic region."
