Baltic Air Policing mission for Carpathian Vipers

On 14 March 2023, a ceremony was held at Baza 86 Aerena Borcea/Fetesti where the operational command of the upcoming NATO Baltic Air Policing mission was handed over to the Forțele Aeriene ale Romaniei (FAR, Romanian Air Force).

Four F-16AM Fighting Falcons from Escadrila 53 Vânătoare Warhawks will be deployed to Siauliai-Zokniai air base (Lithuania) between April and July 2023. After two months, pilots and technical staff will be rotated. The mission of the detachment, under the name “Carpathian Vipers”, is to protect the integrity of the airspace of the Baltic states and is a fundamental component of NATO’s commitment to its members.

It is the second Baltic Air Policing mission for Romania. The first one started on 1 August 2007 with four MiG-21 LanceR fighters that were also based at Siauliai.

The detachement is led by Commander Cosmin Vlad. In his speech he said “A complex mission awaits us, full of challenges generated on the one hand, by the geopolitical context dominated by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and on the other hand, by the novelty of the deployment of Romanian F-16 aircraft in an operating theater. I am aware of the responsibility that we all have in successfully carrying out this undertaking and I strongly believe that we are ready and will fight in the manner we have trained for all this time. The experience gained in the execution of the Air Police Permanent Combat Service in the country, as well as the tasks performed at high standards in the multinational exercises, provide the certainty of a mission that will be successfully accomplished”.

Photo by Romanian Air Force