NATO to Cut Half the Jets Patrolling Baltic Allies

Norwegian and Italian figher jets participating in NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, May 22, 2015 Nato member aircraft were forced to conduct more than 500 scrambles over Europe in 2014 – a fourfold increase on the previous year. Nearly 85% of these were to intercept Russian aircraft. This year, there have already been more than 300 scrambles, according to data provided by Nato to the Guardian….

Despite the increase in interceptions, Nato will be halving the number of aircraft used in its Baltic air-policing mission later this year….

Despite the increased interactions with Russian aircrafts, Nato will be scaling back the number of the Baltic patrolling mission’s aircraft to about eight this autumn, from 16. Before events in Ukraine, the patrolling mission consisted of four aircraft. [Chief of media operations at SHAPE, Lt. Col. Jay] Janzen said the reduction was appropriate to the scale of the task.

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Image: Norwegian and Italian figher jets participating in NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission, May 22, 2015 (photo: NATO)