Jun 4 2024

Finnish jets land in Romania for first participation in NATO air shielding mission

RAMSTEIN, Germany – Seven Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets landed at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta in Romania on June 3 . This first deployment under NATO’s Air Shielding mission will see them conducting both training and real-world sorties along the eastern flank on the Black Sea coast.

Our objective here in Romania is to enhance our integration into NATO Air Power by honing and deepening our cooperation with the Royal Air Force and the Romanian Air Force

“For two months the Finnish jets are joining a Royal Air Force Typhoon detachment and will be doing quick-reaction alert duty and flying alongside them and Romanian F-16s collectively securing NATO airspace and assuring the Romanian population,” said Lieutenant Colonel Rami Lindström, the first commander of the Finnish detachment at Mihail Kogalniceanu. “Our objective here in Romania is to enhance our integration into NATO Air Power by honing and deepening our cooperation with the Royal Air Force and the Romanian Air Force”, he added underscoring the deployment as a milestone towards further developing “our capability to operate from another Allied air base.”

Integrated already in flight - during the deployment to Romania, Finish F/A-18 jets and a German A400M conduct refuelling operations. Photo by Finnish Air Force.

Three Finnish F/A-18 viewed through the heads-up display of another Finnish fighter pilot during deployment flight. Photo by Finnish Air Force.

One of seven Finnish F/A-18 fighter jets taxies at Mihail Kogalniceanu, Romania, where the jets will be deployed for two months for NATO Air Shielding. Photo by Finnish Air Force.

In Romania, the Finnish jets are joining a Royal Air Force Typhoon detachment and will be doing quick-reaction alert duty and flying alongside them and Romanian F-16. Photo by Finnish Air Force.

NATO provides peacetime deterrence and defence tasks through the Air Policing and Air Shielding missions. Member states’ air forces surveil and protect the integrity of Allied airspace through the standing Air Policing mission. The Air Shielding mission, on the other hand, consists of an increased presence of fighter jets and ground-based air defence units in NATO’s eastern member states. The tasks of the fighter detachments participating in the Air Shielding mission include quick-reaction alert duty, patrol flights under the command of NATO’s integrated air and missile defence, as well as exercise activities and maintaining the collective deterrence of the Alliance.

Consisting of seven F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets and less than 100 airmen the detachment’s first goal will be achieving full operational readiness. Together with the RAF Typhoons they participate in NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) exercise Ramstein Legacy in June which provides further opportunities for boosting interoperability in Allied Air Command’s major IAMD exercise.

Story by Allied Air Command Public Affairs Office