Ämari Air Base in Estonia will host NATO and Partner aircraft
during the first Ramstein Alloy exercise in the skies over the Baltic Region 19
and 20 April.
On both days Spain and Belgium, who currently execute NATO’s
Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission, along with Poland and Alliance Partners
Finland and Sweden will provide interceptor aircraft to conduct live flying
activities and exercise quick reaction scenarios. A United States Air Force
tanker, a transport aircraft and an E-3D Airborne Early Warning plane from RAF
Waddington in the United Kingdom will support the two-day manoeuvres. The
drills are designed to enhance relations among air forces in the region and
further develop interoperability. Major aspects of the exercise include training
on common methods and procedures for identifying and assisting aircraft in
distress and exercising military and civilian agency cooperation.
The
training scenario simulates a transport aircraft losing communication contact inside
Finnish airspace. Finnish interceptors will intervene with the aircraft that
lost communications, then hand it over to the Belgian interceptors who will
escort it back to Ämari Air Base. Other aerial training will be conducted in
altitudes above 20,000 feet or 6,000 metres, not visible from the ground.
Participating aircraft will execute so-called practice diversions at civilian
airports in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. During the drills, military aircraft
will conduct low approaches to these airports to train procedures and
cooperation with local air traffic control. This practice enables pilots to use
the airports in case of emergency during real-world missions, as required.
The
training events serve as the first of the Ramstein Alloy exercise series that
NATO’s Headquarters Allied Air Command at Ramstein, Germany, and the Allied
Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem, Germany, conduct in the Baltic region.
Ramstein Alloy is a continuation of the Baltic Region Training Event series,
which was introduced in 2008. Ramstein Alloys, just like the predecessor events,
provide a two-day training event, three times a year, to enhance relations
among regional air forces and to further develop interoperability. Major goals
of Ramstein Alloy and past events include enhanced training for NATO’s
rotational BAP assets and Baltic aircraft controllers as well as honing
cooperation with Partners Finland and Sweden.