RAMSTEIN, Germany –The Portuguese Air Force began their deployment in support of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing in April 2024; at the end of July they will complete a busy four months flying dozens of real-world and training missions in the region.
Four Portuguese F-16M fighter jets and a 85-strong support detachment have conducted multiple alert scrambles intercepting over a dozen Russian military aircraft flying close to NATO airspace. While accomplishing this mission with Spanish F/A-18s at Šiauliai and German Eurofighters at Lielvarde, Latvia, they also participated in several combined training missions in the region.
As one of the founding Allies of NATO it is an honour for Portugal to continue our support to this important mission in the 75th year since NATO was established
“As one of the founding Allies of NATO it is an honour for Portugal to continue our support to this important mission in the 75th year since NATO was established – which happens to be the 20th year of the Baltic Air Policing mission,” said the Portuguese Detachment Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel José Dias. “Our aircrew and support personnel once again demonstrated their professionalism and expertise during mission execution together with our Iberian friends from Spain,” he added.
During the last Portuguese deployment to Lithuania in 2023, the F-16s pilots flew the mission alongside Romanian Air Force F-16 aircrew. This year they augmented NATO’s Air Policing capability in the Baltic Sea region alongside their Spanish F/A-18 colleagues in an Iberian Alliance – two Allies from the Southwest deterring aggression and securing the skies on the eastern flank.
Earlier in July, the Portuguese Air Force participated in one of NATO’s Flexible Deterrence Option (FDO) exercises. Two of the four Portuguese F-16Ms took off from Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania to fly all the way to Romania’s Black Sea coast enabled by air-to-air refueling from a French tanker aircraft. The F-16Ms conducted combined flying missions with British, Romanian and Finnish fighters honing deployed operational skills as well as coordination and interoperability in a complex combined training environment.
During the deployment flight of U.S.-led Bomber Task Force 24-4, on July 21, the Portuguese Air Force escorted – with Finnish and German jets – two B-52H bombers over the Baltic States en route to Romania. This mission provided valuable training of tactics, techniques and procedures and integration with strategic assets. With their deployment, Portugal made its contribution to the Alliance Collective Deterrence and Defence activities.
Besides securing the skies at home, the Portuguese Air Force has been committed to NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic States. Their F-16Ms have led Baltic Air Policing five times (in 2023, 2018, 2016, 2014 and 2007) and augmented it three times (in 2021, 2020 and 2019). Together with several deployments to NATO’s enhanced Air Policing in Romania, this demonstrates Portugal’s rock-solid commitment to Alliance solidarity and cohesion.
