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Five Turkish F-16 fighter jets and dozens of personnel from the 181st Jet Squadron Command, known as Pars Squadron, have deployed to Estonia's Ämari Air Base to carry out round-the-clock alert duty as part of NATO's Baltic air policing mission, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense (MoND) said.
According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the deployment of five F-16s and personnel to Ämari Air Base has been completed, with the mission running from Aug. 1 through Nov. 30, 2026.
Ministry spokesperson Rear Adm. Zeki Akturk said Turkish forces would maintain 24/7 alert-reaction duty as part of NATO's collective air defense activities, contributing to the security of Baltic airspace, with Türkiye taking over the mission from Portugal in a handover ceremony.
The deployment involves five F-16s and 76 personnel from the Diyarbakır-based 181st Jet Squadron.
The Estonian public broadcaster ERR put the Turkish contingent at nearly 80 personnel, including 10 pilots.
Pars Squadron Commander Lt. Col. O. told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) the mission is a peacetime air defense activity conducted under NATO's collective airspace protection framework, aimed specifically at securing the airspace of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which do not operate their own fighter jets.
"This mission is of great strategic importance as part of the defense of NATO's eastern flank. This mission will provide Türkiye with significant contributions in terms of international deterrence, joint operations with allied forces, and gaining strategic strength," he said.
"We will carry out this mission at Estonia's Ämari Air Base with five aircraft and 76 personnel. During this mission, we will maintain 24/7 alert-reaction duty against border violations and unidentified aircraft and carry out joint missions with other allied countries," he added.
First Lt. O., a Pars Squadron pilot, said, "The most important factor that keeps us at this level in the sky is the demanding, disciplined and continuous training we receive... Behind every fighter jet takeoff is an enormous team effort, from the maintenance crew working day and night to the control tower to planning officers and support personnel."
Turkish Air Force (TurAF) pilot Lt. A. O. separately told ERR: "Of course, we are proud to be here under NATO. Our aim and goal is to protect NATO airspace, identify threats in this region, and maintain strong air deterrence."
According to ERR, this marks the first time Türkiye's air force has deployed to Estonia to participate in what ERR described as NATO's newly transformed Baltic air defense mission, following a decision made at last month's NATO summit in Ankara that the two-decade-old Baltic air policing monitoring mission in Estonia and Lithuania would evolve into a full air defense mission starting Aug. 1, enabling the use of NATO's integrated air defense system to counter aerial threats.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur told ERR the four-month rotation schedule among NATO allies has already been agreed upon for the next three years.
"This should ensure that if, for example, the threat picture changes and there is a need to rapidly bring in additional forces, that will be done. Likewise, all the necessary pre-authorizations for making all possible decisions have already been completed as far in advance as possible," Pevkur said.
He noted that allied air forces deployed to the Baltic region face far more frequent encounters with non-NATO aircraft than in their home countries.
"Under previous practice, once, twice, even three times a week they have to go and identify aircraft from a country that is not friendly toward us... The visual contact you get with a Russian fighter jet is not something you can experience in Portugal," he said.
Lt. Col. Katrin Tougjas, commander of Ämari Air Base, thanked outgoing Portuguese Air Force personnel for their "outstanding cooperation" during a medal ceremony Friday and welcomed the incoming Turkish contingent, according to ERR.
ERR reported that Italian forces separately took over the parallel air policing mission based in Lithuania.
NATO air policing is a standing peacetime mission aimed at safeguarding allied airspace, involving the continuous 24/7 presence of fighter aircraft and crews ready to respond rapidly to potential airspace violations.
Since Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined NATO in 2004, the alliance's member states have taken turns providing security for Baltic airspace on a rotating basis, typically in four-month increments, using capable NATO member states' aircraft.
Since the mission's launch in 2004, participating aircraft have been based at Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, with deployments also using Ämari Air Base in Estonia since 2014 and Lielvarde Air Base in Latvia since 2024.
Türkiye previously completed Enhanced Air Policing missions in Poland from July 6 to Sept. 15, 2021, and in Romania from Nov. 30, 2023, to April 2, 2024.
Following its current Estonia deployment, Türkiye is planned to take on a further air-policing mission in Romania from December 2026 through March 2027.
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