Robles extols the "peace mission" of the "fighters" that monitor the Baltic sky for unidentified Russian planes

The Air Force has already carried out a dozen sorties to intercept Russian flights that did not comply with flight regulations

SIAULIAI (LITHUANIA), 23 May. (From the special envoy of EUROPA PRESS, Pilar de la Cuesta) -

Defense Minister Margarita Robles praised this Monday the "peace mission" of the Spanish Armed Forces on NATO's eastern border with Russia. And, specifically, the work of the Lithuanian Air Force monitoring the Baltic sky against the intrusion of Russian planes that approach its airspace without complying with international flight regulations.

Lithuania shares a border with Belarus and with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and the traffic of Russian planes through its territory is constant. Most of them fly identified and comply with international criteria, but when they do not, it is the mission of the Spanish 'fighters' to go out to meet them to dissuade them from entering their airspace.

Specifically, the Air Force has already carried out a dozen real missions --'Alpha Scramble'-- of interception. All of them carried out by between one and four Russian aircraft, as detailed by Lieutenant Colonel David Soto, in command of the Spanish mission.

The last of the outings took place this Monday shortly before the arrival of the minister. These Russian 'surprises' are now common during official visits. It happened during a trip by Robles to a similar air police mission in Bulgaria last February and also at the same base in Lithuania last summer during a visit by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who even had to interrupt a conference press with his Lithuanian counterpart to allow the departure of the Spanish bombers.

At the Siauliai base there are 140 Air Force troops deployed with eight F-18 aircraft, the largest Spanish deployment since its participation in similar aerial police missions. Six of the aircraft are transferred to NATO command and the other two guarantee maintenance.

Spain, in command of the operation, shares a mission with the Czech Republic, which provides five Gripen fighters. And it also carries out joint exercises with the French and Belgian air forces deployed at the Amari base in Estonia.

Since the deployment began on April 1, the Spanish aircraft have made more than 200 sorties and exceeded 380 flight hours. Only twelve of them have been to intercept unidentified aircraft and the rest have consisted of deterrence operations on the border, exercises or integration missions.

When the Spanish 'fighters' intercept Russian flights, many of them respond in a friendly way, explained Lieutenant Colonel Soto. Others, however, carry out provocative maneuvers, although without ever being aggressive, he has pointed out.

Robles thanked the "effort" of the Armed Forces inside and outside of Spain, especially in the current context of the invasion of Ukraine. "It is a peace mission, the Armed Forces always work for and for peace", the minister stressed.

In this sense, he has insisted that Spain is a "serious and reliable" ally for its international allies and its military is "at the forefront" and "committed". "Your effectiveness and efficiency is prestige for the Armed Forces and helps high-level relations," shared the Chief of Defense Staff (Jemad), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón.

Air policing missions have been carried out since 2004, when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, without an Air Force with sufficient surveillance and defense capacity of their own, joined NATO. This work was reinforced in 2014 after the invasion of the Crimean peninsula, when the Alliance decided to also reinforce the southern zone (Romania and Bulgaria).

The mission of the 'allied' aircraft in these operations is dissuasive through the interception and identification of any aircraft that flies over their airspace without being identified or without having presented a flight plan.