NATO will send surveillance aircraft to Romania to bolster its eastern flank and “monitor Russian military activity”, the alliance said on Friday.

 

The Western military alliance has strengthened its presence in the region since Russia invaded Ukraine, which borders Romania, a NATO member.

 

“Our AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System planes) can detect aircraft hundreds of kilometres away, making them a key capability for NATO’s deterrence and defence posture,” NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement.

 

The planes will arrive on Tuesday in Otopeni, near Bucharest, and are part of a fleet of 14 NATO Boeing E-3A AWACS aircraft, usually based in Geilenkirchen, western Germany.

 

Advertisement

Each AWACS plane can typically stay in the air for eight and a half hours at an altitude of 9,000 metres (30,000 feet). While airborne, they can monitor an area almost as big as Poland and can extend their flight time with air-to-air refuelling.

 

Around 180 military personnel will be based at a Romanian air base in Otopeni to provide aircraft support. The mission will last several weeks, NATO said.

 

Since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, NATO has reinforced its air presence in eastern Europe with additional fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and air tankers.

 

The alliance has also launched regular patrols over eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea region to track Russian jets near NATO countries’ borders.

‘If They Cut, I Think We Will Lose’ – Ukraine at War Update for Nov. 20
Other Topics of Interest

‘If They Cut, I Think We Will Lose’ – Ukraine at War Update for Nov. 20

Multiple officials confirm the first Ukrainian strikes inside Russia with US-made long-range weapons; Zelensky talks worst-case scenario if US aid is cut off; Russia mass produces “radiation shelters”

 

One of NATO’s eight multinational battlegroups in eastern Europe is deployed in Romania in a deterrence-and-defence posture.

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter