On November 15 personnel of the Airspace Surveillance and Control Command of the Lithuanian Air Force based in Karmėlava together with military personnel from Latvian and Estonian national centres attended airspace control exercise "Ramstein Aspect 2012".
The exercise organised by the Headquarters Allied Air Command Ramstein (Germany) and the national airspace control centres of the three Baltic States trained Baltic airspace control tasks normally carried out by a higher level unit - the Joint Control and Reporting Centre.
According to Lt Col Darius Kapūsta, acting Commander of the Airspace Surveillance and Control Command of the Lithuanian Air Force, such exercises assist in training national centres to ensure uninterrupted Baltic airspace control in case the Joint Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) is temporarily incapable of completing such tasks, e.g. in case of interrupted activities of the CRC during crises.
The jointly established Baltic CRC based in Karmėlava ensures not only the sovereignty of Lithuanian, Estonian and Latvian airspace but also the control of NATO airspace as a part of the NATO Integrated Air Defence System (NATINADS).
The National Airspace Control Centre based in Karmėlava is a structural unit of the Airspace Surveillance and Control Command which receives updated information on airspace situation from 6 radiolocation posts of the command, processes this data and transmits it to the Joint Control and Reporting Centre and other units implementing procedures of NATO airspace control. The National Airspace Control Centre also shares information with the State Border Guard Service, Regional Air Traffic Control Centre and other institutions.
Photo from MOD archive
