Last last last ever Luftwaffe F-4 Baltic Air Police mission.

[Stratofreighter]

...or is it ?

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articl ... ssion.html

http://www.luftwaffe.de/portal/a/luftwa ... dh-AHJOegg

German Military Will Guard Baltic Airspace For The Fifth Time

(Source: Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania; issued January 2, 2012)

January 4, changeover ceremony of contingents deployed on the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission in the Šiauliai Air Base will be held.

Germany’s Air Contingent will replace air assets and personnel of Denmark after four months on guard of the Baltic skies, the incoming contingent will patrol the airspace with six single-seated F-4 Phantom fighters.

The ceremony will be attended by Lithuanian, German, Estonian, and Lithuanian military delegates as well as representatives of the city and district of Šiauliai.
German Air Force will provide personnel and assets for the protection of the Baltic airspace for the fifth time.

For the preceding two times (in 2005 and 2008) Germans were patrolling with F-4F Phantom, during the third deployment in 2009 Eurofighter jets were used in the first two months and then were substituted for F-4F Phantom.

The third shift (from January to April of 2011) was conducted with six F- 4F Phantom fighters.

The Air Contingent was delegated for the fifth mission by the Wittmund Air Force Base in Lower Saxony. The shift will include 110 members: pilots, technicians, medical personnel, logistic support groups, communications specialists. Unit of Fire Fighters Service deployed by the Guard Regiment of the German Air Force will also conduct duty during this rotation.

The greater part of equipment and inventory necessary for the mission was brought to the Air Base on December 27. Personnel and commander of the regiment will rotate in the course of the four-month duty period. The first shift of military personnel will be commanded by Lt Col Werner Theisen.