From February 15 to March 5, exercise Furious Wolf 21-01 runs in Lithuanian training areas providing valuable practice for Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) from NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Lithuania. With two Eurofighters and personnel from 4th, 36th, 37th and 51st Wing, specifically deployed to the country for three weeks in Siauliai, Lithuania, Italy provides the aerial platforms to enable vital JTAC training flying sorties over the Baltic Region for Close Air Support missions. 

The exercise, organized by NATO, represented a great opportunity to improve the spirit of cooperation between the NATO countries

“Exercise Furious Wolf 21-01, organized by NATO, represented a great opportunity to improve the spirit of cooperation between the NATO countries, allowing aircrews  and  ground  personnel  to  train

together in complex scenario,” said Major Fabrizio S., commanding officer of the Eurofighter detachment from 4th Wing. His detachment is an additional deployment to Italy’s Baltic Air Policing detachment of Eurofighters which safeguard the airspace over NATO territory along the Baltic Sea shores.

Close Air Support is a specific type of mission where air assets work in support of friendly ground units, in close proximity to the enemy forces. Such missions require detailed integration between the JTAC on the ground and the pilots in the fighters to coordinate air power and troops movements on the battlefield

Frequent theatre-realistic training events with multinational participation, both on the ground and in the air, are a key enabler for NATO to have well-trained and experienced JTACs available wherever or whenever needed for operations or missions.