January 5, rotation of air units conducting the QRA Baltic Air Policing mission will take place at the Lithuanian Air Force's Air Base in Šiauliai. US troops will be replaced by a German air contingent with six F-4 „Phantom" fighters after four months of standby on the Baltic Air Policing mission.
Germany was in charge of QRA mission in the Baltic States for the fourth time. The country also guarded Baltic airspace in 2005 and 2008 (with F-4F „Phantom") and in 2009 (with „Eurofighter").
The current, fourth, rotation of German troops comes from Wittmund Air Force Base, Germany. It includes over a hundred troops: pilots, technicians, medical personnel, communications specialists, etc. Fire and recue service of the Security Regiment of the German Air Force will also deploy on the mission. The major part of equipment and inventory required for conducting the mission was delivered to Šiauliai Air Base on December 27. Arrival of the first two German fighters was moved from January 3 to January 4 because of weather conditions.
The ceremony on January 5 will be attended by Rima Malakauskienė, Deputy Head of the Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Department of the Ministry of National Defence, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Lithuania Anne Hall, Mayor of Šiauliai City Genadijus Mikšys and Director of Šiauliai Municipality Administration Vladas Damulevičius, Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Air Force Lt Col Sigitas Gudeika, Commander of Air Base Lt Col Virginijus Steponavičius, Deputy Commander the 48th Fighter Wing of the US Air Force Col William K. Lewis, US Defence Attaché Lt Col David B. Miller, and representatives of Germany - Chief of Staff of the 4th Air Division Col Uwe Harms, Defence Attaché in Lithuania Cdr Wolfgang Zoll, and Maj Fredi Karu, Commander of Control and Reporting Post in Estonia.
The outgoing US Air Contingent were conducting protection of the Baltic airspace with four F-15 „Eagle" fighters. Personnel of around 100 members did nearly no rotations throughout the four months of duty. The contingent was led in turns by Lt Col Skip Pribyl and Lt Col Connor Blackwood. US F-15 „Eagle" fighters did around 70 training flights, nearly 100 flight hours in total. US personnel communicated with society of Šiauliai CIty, children of orphanages of Šiauliai and Kaišiadorys, presented the QRA mission to children's and students' excursions visiting Air Base.
NATO countries began deploying air personnel and assets to ensure security of the Baltic skies in March 2004 when the three Baltic States entered NATO. The first rotations of the mission lasted for three months and were taken up by Belgian, Danish, United Kingdom's, Norway's, Dutch, German, US, and Polish troops; in spring of 2006 a four-month duty period was introduced and implemented by Turkey, Spain, Belgium, and France. Later a Portuguese air contingent performed duty for a month and a half, Norway's, Poland's, Germany's and the United States' air personnel - for three months, and the successive Danish, Czech, German, French, Polish and the outgoing US air contingents - for four months. The German Air Contingent to take over the mission on January 5 will also be deployed for four months.
German Air Contingent will guard Baltic airspace with single-seat fighter-jetsF-4 „Phantom".
During the rotation ceremony scramble of US fighters F-15 is planned (subject to changes because of weather conditions).
Information of LAF Air Base
Picture from the German Air Force's archive.
