Six Hill Air Force Base fighters have deployed to the Baltic Sea and Black Sea regions of Eastern Europe to aid in NATO defense efforts as the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolds.
“We are facing a dynamic environment, and the deployment of F-35s to NATO’s eastern flank enhances our defensive posture and amplifies the Alliance’s interoperability,” Gen. Jeff Harrigian, the U.S. Air Force in Europe commander, said in a statement.
A contingent of F-35A Lighting II aircraft from Hill AFB arrived at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany on Feb. 16 as part of efforts to bolster support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance of nations.
The six Hill AFB F-35A airplanes, deployed to Black Sea and Baltic Sea regions on Thursday, will support NATO’s air policing mission out of Amari Air Base in Estonia, Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania and Fetesti Air Base in Romania for a “period of time,” said a U.S. Air Forces in Europe statement. Estonia and Lithuania are Baltic Sea nations bordering northwestern Russia while Romania is a Black Sea nation that shares a border with Ukraine.
To read more about the deployment, visit the Standard-Examiner.
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