NATO and NATO partner countries Ramstein Alloy, a two-day exercise, started on Tuesday in the skies over the Baltic states, the press service of the Estonian Defence Forces General Headquarters said
“The two-day NATO Air Force and partner exercise Ramstein Alloy began today in Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian airspace with the main objective of practicing airspace security in the Baltic States. The Estonian Air Force and the Emari Air Base near Tallinn will play a key role in the exercise this time”, – the statement reads.
The Estonian military noted that in addition to Estonian and Lithuanian fighters based in Ämari and Sauliai, carrying out the mission of protecting the skies over the Baltic States, the exercises will also involve Finnish, German, Polish, Spanish, and Turkish pilots. A total of more than 20 aircraft will be involved. A NATO AWACS E-3 long-range airborne surveillance and control aircraft will be in the skies over the Baltic Sea.
Ramstein Alloy has been conducted three times a year since 2008. It coincides with rotations of NATO aircraft and flight crews at Emari Air Base in Estonia and Siauliai in Lithuania, which take place every four months.