Belgian Fighters Reinforce Baltic Air Defence
Belgium is sending six F-16 fighters and around 100 personnel to reinforce the Italian contingent protecting Baltic airspace from a Lithuanian base.
Lithuania’s Defence Ministry announced the Belgian reinforcement on 29 October, with a welcoming ceremony scheduled at Šiauliai air base.
The Belgian aircraft will strengthen the mission alongside the Italian contingent already deployed there.
According to the ministry, NATO’s July summit in Ankara broadened the European mission from air policing to air defence. The revised framework gives military commanders wider authority to respond to aerial threats.
The ministry identified aircraft, drones and cruise and ballistic missiles among the threats covered by that wider framework. These are responsibilities of the overall air-defence system; the Belgian F-16 deployment is one contribution to it.
The reinforcement places additional allied aircraft and personnel in Lithuania while supporting the protection of all three Baltic states.
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