NATO MUltimedia

Media got to see what it’s like to be intercepted by Allied fighters on 14 January 2020 during a NATO Air Policing tour of Europe.

Media got to see what it’s like to be intercepted by Allied fighters on 14 January 2020 during a NATO Air Policing tour of Europe, over various Allied and partner countries. Climbing aboard a Belgian Air Force Airbus A321-200, they flew from Melsbroek Air Base near Brussels (Belgium) and passed through the airspaces of France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland. Along the way, jets from Allied and partner countries scrambled to intercept the Airbus as they would during a real Air Policing scramble.
Footage includes shots of French Rafale fighters, British Typhoons, Danish F-16s, Finnish F-18s and Polish F-16s. Interview with German Air Force Lieutenant General Klaus Habersetzer, Commander, NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem (Germany).

1. (00:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – FRENCH AIR FORCE RAFALE MULTIROLE FIGHTER
2. (00:13) VARIOUS SHOTS – UNITED KINGDOM ROYAL AIR FORCE EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON MULTIROLE FIGHTER
3. (00:26) VARIOUS SHOTS – ROYAL DANISH AIR FORCE F-16 FIGHTING FALCON MULTIROLE FIGHTER
4. (00:40) VARIOUS SHOTS – FINNISH AIR FORCE F-18 HORNET FIGHTER-BOMBERS
5. (00:49) VARIOUS SHOTS – POLISH AIR FORCE F-16 FIGHTING FALCON MULTIROLE FIGHTER
6. (01:01) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) GERMAN AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT GENERAL KLAUS HABERSETZER, COMMANDER, COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE UEDEM

“Air Policing is sending, especially in peacetime, it’s sending a clear signal. It’s an important and significant demonstration of NATO’s commitment safeguarding the skies over Europe, and it underlines perfectly the cohesion of the Alliance.”

1. (01:19) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) GERMAN AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT GENERAL KLAUS HABERSETZER, COMMANDER, COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE UEDEM
“One of the main issues is, for sure, is that if an aircraft is not following the flight plan, or if an aircraft is not communicating with the ground properly, or has what we call a loss of communication, you know?”
2. (01:34) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) GERMAN AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT GENERAL KLAUS HABERSETZER, COMMANDER, COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTRE UEDEM

“It makes it a peacetime mission because it’s executed in peacetime, and we are not in times of tension, neither in a conflict, and therefore it’s a pure peacetime mission.”