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Four Turkish F-16s land in Poland to join NATO Air Policing mission

Having taken off from the 6th Main Jet Base at Bandırma, Turkey, four Turkish Air Force F-16s landed on Tuesday at Malbork airbase in the northern part of the country to join NATO’s Air Policing mission in the region.

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An 80-person Turkish Air Force subdivision will service the aircraft at Malbork until mid-September.

This is the second time the Turkish Air Force has provided jets for the mission and their first time deployed to Malbork.

It is the third Turkish Air Force subdivision in the region within the framework of the Air Policing mission, alongside Spanish Air Force representatives in Šiauliai, Lithuania, and the Italian Air Force in Ämari, Estonia. NATO’s Air Policing mission is primarily tasked with defending the airspace above the countries of the Baltic region.

NATO described the deployment as an example of “solidarity and cohesion between NATO members and collective engagement in deterrence and defence.” NATO said the deployment of Turkish F-16s showed the alliance;s readiness and reaction capacity.

Turkish Air Forces have landed on Malbork Air Base, Poland for the first time for Enhanced Air Policing missions#WeAreNATO #60yearsairpolicing
Read more: https://t.co/DdsxcpWa9r pic.twitter.com/eRTGSt6ZeG

— NATO Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) July 6, 2021

NATO added that the three allies from the south – Spain, Italy and Turkey – are supporting the Alliance’s air forces in northern Europe. Forces deployed in the Baltic Sea region will cooperate with one another and host air forces with the aim of enhancing cooperation.

“Sixty years after introducing the enduring NATO Air Policing mission, deployments like that of the Turkish F-16s to Malbork show our readiness and responsiveness and NATO’s continuing air agility, capability and adaptation,” reads NATO’s press release published on the official website of the Alliance.

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