Two French "Rafale" fighters will arrive at the airbase in Lielvarde next week, on April 14, which are currently deployed at the Lithuanian Air Force base in Šiauliai as part of the NATO mission to patrol the airspace of the Baltic States, the Ministry of Defense's press office reported.
The event will be attended by the Commander of the National Armed Forces, Major General Kaspars Pudans, the Ambassador of France to Latvia, Manuel Lafon-Rapnuy, ambassadors and military attaches from NATO countries, and the leadership of the Air Force.
As reported, starting from April 1, France and Romania replaced Spain in the NATO mission to patrol the airspace of the Baltic States from the base in Šiauliai, while the Portuguese contingent took over support for the mission from the Estonian airbase in Ämari, replacing Italian fighters.
Four "Dassault Rafale" fighters have arrived in the Baltic States as part of the French contingent for the mission, while Romania has deployed six "F-16 Fighting Falcon" fighters in Šiauliai.
NATO countries have been patrolling the airspace of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia on a rotational basis since March 2004, when the Baltic States joined the alliance.
In response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the alliance has strengthened the protection of the Baltic airspace since March 2022, increasing the number of military personnel and fighters.
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