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Royal Air Force and German Air Force Typhoon jets will be flying joint air policing missions in Estonia for the first time, as the UK prepares to lead NATO鈥檚 mission in Estonia.

皇冠体育appse integrated missions will be the first of their kind, with the eventual aim of carrying out full joint and integrated NATO Air Policing missions in the future.

Around 300 RAF personnel from the 140 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) will soon be in Estonia, as the RAF prepares to take the lead on the long-established NATO air policing mission from the German Air Force for four months, starting from April.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Our RAF personnel in Estonia are undertaking a vital role, ensuring the security of Europe鈥檚 skies and bolstering NATO鈥檚 presence in eastern Europe.

Joint operations of this kind, demonstrate the strength and unity of the NATO Alliance and our shared resolve to maintain peace and security across the region.

皇冠体育app EAW will be carrying out the long-established NATO Air Policing mission from Estonia. IX (Bomber) Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth are operating the RAF Typhoons that have deployed from Scotland.

Wing Commander Scott Maccoll, Commanding Officer of 140 EAW said:

Today marks a great 鈥榝irst鈥� for our two Air Forces. We have been working together for some time and the level of cooperation has now reached a new level. It continues to be an absolute pleasure to work with our German allies on all aspects of our mission - from maintenance and operation of the jets to planning and logistic activities.

I would also like to thank our Estonian hosts; they are vital to what we have achieved here. What better way to demonstrate the strength and unity of the NATO Alliance, than through successful, shared operations such as this?

To operate successfully side by side, personnel from the two air forces have trained together to understand each other鈥檚 processes including maintenance and operating procedures.聽Both air forces fly the Eurofighter Typhoon, but there are national differences this is the first time a joint detachment will fully integrate all aspects of operations. Jets will now fly together on live NATO controlled intercepts.

皇冠体育app air policing mission is part of the UK鈥檚 wider NATO commitment in Estonia, alongside the presence of around a thousand British soldiers as part of NATO鈥檚 Enhanced Forward Presence.

As part of the UK鈥檚 deployment to Estonia, established in 2017 under the name Operation Cabrit, the UK leads a multinational, combat-ready battlegroup to protect and reaffirm the security of the alliance鈥檚 member states. British units rotate on a continuous basis alongside Danish, French, and host nation Estonian forces.

Lieutenant Colonel Christoph Hachmeister, the German Detachment commander, said:

Working together with our allies from the Royal Air Force in a live mission is what we have been looking forward to since we started this mission. Now we can demonstrate interoperability in these difficult times to protect our Baltic partners and NATO鈥檚 eastern flank. 皇冠体育app many years of good practice in working together will be the baseline for a successful cooperation.

皇冠体育app German Air Force detachment is from the 71 Tactical Air Wing 鈥楻ichthofen鈥�. Once they hand over the lead of the NATO Air Policing Mission in April, they will remain in Estonia until the end of the month, conducting integrated scrambles before returning to Germany.