VILNIUS, March 31. /TASS/. A contingent from the French and Romanian Air Forces has replaced the Spanish pilots who had been stationed on a rotational basis at the Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania and has begun patrols as part of the NATO mission to protect the airspace of the Baltic states, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry reported.
"The allied mission to safeguard the airspace of the Baltic states is one of the most notable examples of collective defense," Deputy Defense Minister Vitalija Zumeriene said, according to the statement. "Given the complex security situation in the region, it is more important than ever," she added.
The French contingent arrived with four Dassault Rafale fighter jets, while the Romanian contingent brought six F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters. Pilots, technicians, medical personnel, a logistics team, and public affairs specialists have been stationed at the Lithuanian air base. This is the ninth mission in Lithuania for the French Air Force and the fourth for the Romanian Air Force.
Airspace control in the Baltic states, which do not have their own air forces, is carried out by NATO allies. Since 2004, fighter jets from NATO member countries have been stationed at the Siauliai Air Base on a rotational basis. In 2014, a second component of the mission was deployed to the Amari Air Base in Estonia.