Ramstein, Germany – Polish F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Šiauliai, Lithuania, as they take on NATO’s Air Policing mission, from the French and Italian detachments, alongside the Romanian Air Force.
The Polish Air Force has deployed with four F-16 Fighting Falcons and will support the mission until July, 2025. Poland has a long history of Air Policing from Šiauliai, having completed their first Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission back in 2006.
The handover from the French and Italian Air Force was marked with a ceremony in Šiauliai on March 31, 2025, attended by Lieutenant General Thorsten Poschwatta, Commander Combined Air Operations Centre Uedem.
Four Polish F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Šiauliai, Lithuania. to commence NATO's Air Policing Mission. Archived imagery by Slawek Hesja Krajniewski
The Polish and Romanian detachments take over from the French and Italian Air Force. A ceremony was held in Šiauliai on March 31, 2025. Photo curtesy of the Romanian Air Force
Poland has a long history of Air Policing from Šiauliai, they completed their first Baltic Air Policing mission in 2006. Achieved imagery by Slawek Hesja Krajniewski
NATO Air Policing is a peacetime mission collectively carried out across all European Allies; the mission is overseen by Allied Air Command and executed and controlled by the two Combined Air Operations Centres at Uedem, Germany, and Torrejon, Spain.
To date, 17 Allies have participated in NATO’s Air Policing mission, deploying interceptor capabilities to safeguard the airspace over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. BAP is a regional form of NATO’s peacetime Air Policing mission, demonstrating the ability of the Alliance to share and pool existing capabilities.
The deployment of two detachments at Šiauliai allows for more flexible operational planning of NATO Air Policing in the region. With the posture of Polish and Romanian fighter jets, NATO has a robust air capability in place that sends a clear signal to potential adversaries of the Allies’ collective readiness and commitment to preserving territorial integrity.