NATO to Deploy AWACS Surveillance Aircraft in Lithuania

NATO intends to temporarily station AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft in the Lithuanian city of Šiauliai, as announced by the Alliance's press service.

The first of these two aircraft is expected to arrive in Lithuania today, on Thursday, September 28, 2023. Its mission will involve monitoring Russian military activity near the Alliance's borders. Reconnaissance flights over Alliance territory will commence shortly and will last for several weeks. In addition, approximately 150 military personnel will be deployed to Šiauliai to support this mission.

Dylan White, NATO's Acting Spokesperson, stated, "The Russian war in Ukraine has heightened our awareness of security threats in the Baltic Sea region. AWACS aircraft have the capability to detect aircraft and missiles at distances exceeding one hundred kilometers, making them a key early warning tool for NATO. We are grateful to Lithuania for hosting these aircraft. This is a significant contribution to our collective security."

AWACS aircraft are based on Boeing-707 models and, thanks to their radar capabilities, can detect and identify other aircraft at distances exceeding 400 kilometers.

In response to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, NATO has strengthened its aerial presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, deploying fighter jets, surveillance aircraft, and aerial tankers.

Following an incident involving drones near NATO's border in Romania, the United States deployed four additional F-16 fighter jets to Romania last week to support NATO's airspace patrol mission.

Starting from February 2022, NATO AWACS aircraft have conducted hundreds of reconnaissance flights over Eastern Europe to monitor Russian military activities.

It's worth noting that the North Atlantic Alliance is set to conduct its largest collective defense military exercise since the Cold War, codenamed "Steadfast Defender," in the spring of 2024. It is expected to involve up to 700 aircraft, over 50 ships, and around 40,000 military personnel.

The exercises will take place in Germany, Poland, and the Baltic countries in February and March and are part of a new training strategy in which the military alliance will hold two major exercises per year instead of one.