Spanish Fighter Jets to Fly Training Mission Over Estonia

Four Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets will fly a training sortie over Estonia Sunday as part of the so-called Baltic Air Police mission.

On January 2 the German Luftwaffe, which had provided a contingent of four Eurofighters on base for NATO Baltic Policing patrols since September, handed over to a Spanish air force detachment of the same aircraft type, which took over patrolling duties at Estonia’s Amari Air Base near Tallinn.

The Spanish war jets will fly a training mission over Estonian territory on Sunday, the country’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The quartet of Spanish Eurofighters from the 11th Air Wing of the Spanish Air Force based in Andalucía will fly patrol missions in the Baltic skies until the end of next month.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is one of the most advanced new generation multirole combat aircraft currently available on the world market. Seven nations (Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia and Oman) have already ordered the aircraft, which can be used as a strike plane, a fighter and can fly reconnaissance missions.

NATO allies have been guarding Baltic airspace on a rotation basis since the three states joined the military alliance in 2004. 

The NATO war jets have been patrolling from the Lithuanian Air Force base in Siauliai.