Synopsis
The US Air Force has dispatched six F-15E Strike Eagles to bolster NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.
The fighters, part of 4th Fighter Air Wing, came from Seymour Johnson Air Base and will fly alongside Belgian Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons that were already assigned to the Baltic Air Policing mission. Together, they will safeguard the airspace over the Baltic States from airspace safety violations while practising air-to-air and air-to-ground tactics.
Baltic Air Policing is a regular, peacetime mission intended to ensure safe airspace over and near the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These countries don’t possess the necessary air policing capability, so other NATO Allies cover their airspace on a rotating basis.
Footage includes shots of US F-15s and Belgian F-16s, as well as interviews with the Commander of the Estonian Air Force., as well as Belgian and US officers.
Transcript
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) GIMBAL SHOTS (MUTE) – US AIR FORCE F-15E STRIKE EAGLE AND BELGIAN AIR FORCE F-16 FIGHTING FALCON PARKED ON TARMAC AT ÄMARI AIR BASE IN ESTONIA
(00:55) WIDE SHOTS (MUTE) – JETS PARKED ON TARMAC
(01:38) GIMBAL SHOTS (MUTE) – JETS PARKED ON TARMAC
(02:07) WIDE SHOT (MUTE) – INSIGNIA, US AIR FORCE 333rd FIGHTER SQUADRON, 4th FIGHTER WING
(02:14) GIMBAL SHOTS (MUTE) – JETS ON TARMAC
(02:38) WIDE SHOT – F-15 AND F-16 PARKED ON TARMAC
(02:42) WIDE SHOT – US AIR FORCE F-15 TAKING OFF
(03:03) WIDE SHOTS – F-15s TAXIING FOLLOWING DEMONSTRATION
(03:34) WIDE SHOTS – BELGIAN AIR FORCE F-16s TAXIING FOLLOWING DEMONSTRATION
(04:01) WIDE SHOTS – JETS PARKED
(04:22) LONG SHOT – F-16 AIRCRAFT
(04:32) WIDE SHOTS – JETS PARKED
(04:28) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Taylor Grifford, Director of Operations, 333rd Fighter Squadron
“Yeah, we are here to accomplish the enhanced Air Policing mission with our Allies in NATO, specifically Belgian F-16s behind me. And the overall purpose of enhanced Air Policing is to ensure NATO security and sovereignty for the airspace over NATO.
I think maintaining the sovereignty of NATO is important. And the US, as a NATO member, is committed to supporting NATO sovereignty and security. Specifically, in Ämari Airfield, we are more in the Baltic region, but it is a mission that goes across all of Europe.
So an air policing interception would really be based off of any aircraft that’s not operating within international rules and regulations that might infringe on NATO airspace, or aircraft within NATO airspace that are not operating in accordance with the proper rules and regulations, possibly due to aircraft malfunctions to communications and navigations systems.”
(05:35) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Belgian Air Force Major Avi Pierre-Yves Libert, Commander, Air Policing detachment
“Belgian F-16s are deployed to be part of the enhanced Air Policing. That is to say, we conduct the Air Policing for four months, and we started on first of December and we’ll be staying on until the first of April.
The Alliance is committed to the collective peacetime defence of the airspace, and Belgium is proud to be part of the collective defence, so it’s a tool, if you wish, where all the Alliance deploys to the Baltic States in order to ensure, and to bring the securisation of the airspace.
The reason why we need to respond is in order to, I would say, to intercept aircraft that are not complying to the international regulation of the flying. And it can military or civilian aircraft and if we want to ensure the safety of all the users of the airspace and we’ve got to ensure the integrity of the airspace, we need to intercept the aircraft and escort the aircraft just to secure the airspace and bring safety for everybody.
The procedures we are using in the air are well determined in advance. There are standard procedures where we need to intercept, fly within visual range of the aircraft that we intercept, identify the aircraft and escort the aircraft, as long as it is deemed necessary by the leadership. And then, when the mission is completed, we will simply return to base. But the procedures are well-known by all the professionals, and they’re done in a routine way.”
(07:07) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) Brigadier General Rauno Sirk, Commander, Estonian Air Force
“Those airplanes here in Estonia, they carry out NATO’s Air Policing mission, which is NATO’s peacetime mission. And by having those aircraft here, the Alliance shows its solidarity, not only for Estonia, but for the whole Baltic region. NATO’s airspace is one piece, it’s not divided.”
