Polish Air Force F-16 fighters, performing a mission to protect airspace over the Baltic countries and stationed at the Amari airbase near Tallinn, will conduct training flights in the skies over Estonia, the press service of the Estonian Defense Forces reports.
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“Pilots of the Polish Air Force on F-16 fighters will fly in Estonian airspace from February 21 to 24, including at low altitudes. Low altitude flights are carried out in designated areas, but not lower than 152 meters (500 feet). It is possible “that the planes will fly over populated areas or individual farms, but will still try to avoid populated areas if possible,” the message says.
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It is also planned that on February 24, two Polish F-16 fighter jets, weather permitting, will fly over the center of Tallinn as part of a military parade to celebrate the 106th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.
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NATO member states dedicate certain areas of their airspace to air force exercises, including low-altitude flights. Allied training flights are carried out in accordance with Estonian legislation and are coordinated with the Transport Department and the Estonian air traffic control service.
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The Baltic countries do not have aircraft suitable for air patrol, therefore, since April 2004 (after their accession to NATO), airspace security has been carried out on a rotating basis by aircraft from the North Atlantic Alliance countries, which are based in Lithuania at the Zokniai airfield, five kilometers from Siauliai, as well as at Ämari airbase, which has become an additional site for NATO aircraft since 2014. At the 2012 NATO summit, the mission was extended indefinitely.
