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RAF to Fly Joint Missions with German Air Force as UK Prepares to Lead NATO Air Policing in Estonia

(Source: UK Ministry of Defence; issued March 6, 2023)
A common sight over the next two months: a German and a British Eurofighter taxiing from the hangar to the runway. From here, they will also start as alarm squads for so-called A-Scrambles, or Quick-Reaction Alerts. (Bundeswehr photo)

Royal Air Force and German Air Force Typhoon jets will be flying joint air policing missions in Estonia for the first time, as the UK prepares to lead NATO’s mission in Estonia. These integrated missions will be the first of their kind, with the eventual aim of carrying out full joint and integrated NATO Air Policing missions in the future.

Around 300 RAF personnel from the 140 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) will soon be in Estonia, as the RAF prepares to take the lead on the long-established NATO air policing mission from the German Air Force for four months, starting from April.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "Our RAF personnel in Estonia are undertaking a vital role, ensuring the security of Europe’s skies and bolstering NATO’s presence in eastern Europe. Joint operations of this kind, demonstrate the strength and unity of the NATO Alliance and our shared resolve to maintain peace and security across the region."

The EAW will be carrying out the long-established NATO Air Policing mission from Estonia. IX (Bomber) Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth are operating the RAF Typhoons that have deployed from Scotland.

Wing Commander Scott Maccoll, Commanding Officer of 140 EAW said: "Today marks a great ‘first’ for our two Air Forces. We have been working together for some time and the level of cooperation has now reached a new level. It continues to be an absolute pleasure to work with our German allies on all aspects of our mission - from maintenance and operation of the jets to planning and logistic activities.

"I would also like to thank our Estonian hosts; they are vital to what we have achieved here. What better way to demonstrate the strength and unity of the NATO Alliance, than through successful, shared operations such as this?"

To operate successfully side by side, personnel from the two air forces have trained together to understand each other’s processes including maintenance and operating procedures. Both air forces fly the Eurofighter Typhoon, but there are national differences this is the first time a joint detachment will fully integrate all aspects of operations. Jets will now fly together on live NATO controlled intercepts.

The air policing mission is part of the UK’s wider NATO commitment in Estonia, alongside the presence of around a thousand British soldiers as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence.

As part of the UK’s deployment to Estonia, established in 2017 under the name Operation Cabrit, the UK leads a multinational, combat-ready battlegroup to protect and reaffirm the security of the alliance’s member states. British units rotate on a continuous basis alongside Danish, French, and host nation Estonian forces.

Lieutenant Colonel Christoph Hachmeister, the German Detachment commander, said: "Working together with our allies from the Royal Air Force in a live mission is what we have been looking forward to since we started this mission. Now we can demonstrate interoperability in these difficult times to protect our Baltic partners and NATO’s eastern flank. The many years of good practice in working together will be the baseline for a successful cooperation."

The German Air Force detachment is from the 71 Tactical Air Wing ‘Richthofen’. Once they hand over the lead of the NATO Air Policing Mission in April, they will remain in Estonia until the end of the month, conducting integrated scrambles before returning to Germany.

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Joint Air Policing in Estonia Begins with Royal Air Force

Plug & Fight is a joint mission using joint resources: The Air Force initiative to improve the effectiveness of multinational operations has been promoted with the Eurofighter nations Great Britain, Spain and Italy since 2019. On March 6, Air Policing Baltics started with the Royal Air Force.

On Monday morning the time had come: The German-British "Combined Air Policing" took over the mission for NATO. One Eurofighter from the Air Force and one from the Royal Air Force are now ready for emergency launches, taking from Ämari Air off Base in northern Estonia no more than 15 minutes after the alarm has been raised. They are used, for example, when unknown aircraft without a transponder signal or radio contact are in the Baltic airspace.

What sounds uncomplicated is actually the result of long planning. The two air forces have been working on intensifying their cooperation in the field of the Eurofighter for several years. was reached in the summer of 2021 with “ Enhanced Most recently , Air Policing South a milestone in the temporary cooperation between the two nations ” in Romania. At that time, a mixed armed patrol was flown under NATO leadership for the first time. Until now, the integration of a partner was limited to a few weeks. Now the order in Estonia will be carried out together for a full two months.

“It is an excellent opportunity to deepen the knowledge we have gained from previous missions and exercises. The focus is on increasing interoperability in order to use resources, personnel and material even more sparingly in the future," says Lieutenant Colonel Christoph Hachmeister, contingent leader VAPB 2022/2023. Hachmeister is very familiar with the German-British cooperation, having also Enhanced Air Policing South two years ago.

Side by side, hand in hand

The close cooperation between the German and British air forces has existed for years and is the basis for the good and smooth cooperation in Estonia. Both air forces fly the Eurofighter fighter jet, which is why operations on the ground and in the air can be coordinated more easily. In Estonia, the servicewomen and men now have the opportunity to prove that the German and British Air Forces, as members of NATO, work hand in hand.

The Air Force has been in Estonia since August last year and was briefly supported by a Spanish contingent of Eurofighters last September. While partner nations have always only been involved in an existing mission for a short period of time and then moved back, the Royal Air Force will take on the role of lead nation from April. Then the Air Force takes second place and supports the British order. At the beginning of May, the deployment for the Air Force ended and the relocation began.

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