Spain will deploy six fighters in Bulgaria and eight in Romania to protect its airspace from the Russian threat

MADRID, 22 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Ministry of Defense has reported that in the coming months it will deploy six fighter planes from the Air and Space Army in Bulgaria and eight in Romania to protect its airspace from the Russian threat.

The Spanish Air Force has been participating for years in the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic to prevent the intrusion of unidentified aircraft, especially Russian planes that approach the Alliance’s airspace without complying with international flight regulations.

In this context, a deployment is planned at the Bezmer Air Base, in Bulgaria, from November 14 to December 2, where an Aerotactic Detachment (DAT) of 6 Eurofighters and 130 soldiers from Wing 11 will be located. training and Air Police, if required by NATO.

In addition, a deployment is scheduled, from December 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, at the Fetesi Air Base, in Romania, where a DAT of 8 F18M and 130 soldiers from the 15th Wing who will carry out Air Police missions will be located. and training.

Also in Romania, at the Schitu Barracks, from October 17 to March 31, the TIGRU DAT, made up of a long-range aerial surveillance radar, was deployed to control the airspace on NATO’s eastern flank. The radar with the technical material left on October 10 from the port of Cartagena bound for the Romanian city of Constanza, where 38 soldiers have been deployed to keep the radar active 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Previously, the Air and Space Army has already carried out, under the national authority of the JEMAD and transferred to NATO, three DATs between February and September 2022: in Bulgaria (DAT Strela: 4 Eurofighters and 133 soldiers from Wing 11), Lithuania (DAT Vilkas: 8 F18M and 130 soldiers from Wing 12) Estonia (DAT Ambar: 4 x Eurofighter and 70 soldiers from Wing 11, joint detachment with the Luftwaffe).

Spain has reinforced its military presence on NATO’s eastern border since before the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine in February. Within this framework, the troops deployed in Latvia have increased from 350 to 650, while it maintains a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean area and has multiplied aerial police missions, both in the Baltic and in the Black Sea.

With this deployment, Spain reaffirms its commitment to international peace and security, being one of the European countries that makes the most effort in international missions.