Soldiers of the Lithuanian Air Force are taking part in Exercise Baltic Eye, a joint fighter aircraft operator training of the Lithuanian and the Czech Air Forces in Lithuania. Lithuanian troops are honing their aircraft-operating skills with assistance from four L-159 light attack aircraft crews of the Czech Republic. The exercise involves roughly 50 Lithuanian and Czech soldiers.
While receiving command and control from the Airspace Control Centre of the Air Surveillance and Control Command the aircraft participating in the exercise take off from and land at the Šiauliai Airbase.
One segment of the training involves two aircraft, one in the role of a friendly, and the other - in the role of a hostile force. The task of the exercise participants is to provide a proper coordination for the friendly force pilots, i.e. give them accurate altitude, direction and other indicators of flight, thus enabling them to intercept or allegedly destroy enemy aircraft.
Apart from improving their skills of operating fighter jets in the exercise Lithuanian soldiers also have an opportunity to train real flights.
The Lithuanian and the Czech Air Forces have been jointly arranging iterations of Exercise Baltic Eye since 2007.
Photo credits: Antanas Gedrimas
