NATO Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) led counter-drone training over Lithuania and Latvia on May 27 as part of enhanced the Vigilance Activity Eastern Sentry operation.
The training brought together Romanian and Portuguese F-16 fighters, Lithuanian surface-based air and missile defence units, Spanish National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and a Romanian Patriot system in a counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) scenario focused on Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD).
“The Romanian ‘Carpathian Vipers’ detachment of F-16 fighters operating from Šiauliai, Lithuania, currently contribute to NATO’s Air Policing mission in the Baltic region, providing a ready air defence capability under NATO command,” NATO said on May 29. “Their participation in the C-UAS training linked day-to-day vigilance with wider IAMD activity, demonstrating how deployed Allied fighter detachments can support both routine safeguarding of NATO airspace and rapid responses to emerging airborne threats.”
During the training, NATO’s Airborne Warning and Control System provided airborne command and control, cross-domain coordination and notional target information to air and ground assets. NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem coordinated and oversaw the activity, directing air defence operations across the region.
“The mission strengthened NATO’s ability to integrate air, ground and enabling assets into a cohesive air defence posture, demonstrating how Allied forces combine national capabilities under NATO command to detect, track and respond to airborne threats,” NATO said. “The training showed NATO’s ability to conduct high-level air activity over the Baltic region while refining shared procedures, interoperability and operational cohesion among Allies, reinforcing deterrence and defence through ready, integrated and responsive airpower.”
For more information
Image: Arnaud Chamberlin, via NATO Allied Air Command Public Affairs Office