The Ministry of Defense confirmed this Saturday that the Air and Space Army will deploy six Eurofighter fighters in Bulgaria from November 14 as part of NATO air patrols. In the same mission, starting December 1, it will also deploy eight F18M fighters in Romania.
In both cases they are two aerotactic detachments (DAT) with support of 260 military. The Bulgarian DAT is already preparing its installation at the Bezmer base, halfway between Romania and Turkey, not far from the Bulgarian coast and 250 kilometers from the Bosphorus crossing that closes the Black Sea to the south. The deployment involves the transfer of 130 soldiers from Wing 11 of the Air Force, based in Morón (Seville), on a mission until December 2.
The Romanian DAT will settle from December 1, and with a return date of March 31, 2023, the Fetesi base, next to the Danube, 300 kilometers from Odessa and 400 from Kherson, in the Ukraine. Its deployment will affect another 130 soldiers, pilots and support personnel for the F18 fighters of Wing 15, from the Zaragoza base.
air police
Defense has defined the mission of these two groups of fighters as “air policing and training & rdquor ;, and has explained that they come in response to a request from the NATO Air Component of a greater contribution of the allies to “response and deterrence capacity & rdquor; of the politico-military organization.
As part of this response, the Air Force sent on October 10 from Cartagena (Murcia) to the Romanian military barracks in Schitu, on the shore of the Black Sea southwestern Crimeaa long-range radar and early warning that will contribute to controlling the eastern air flank of the Atlantic Alliance.
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The radar has been in operation since last day 17 in the DAT Tigru, with the support of 38 soldiers of the Mobile Air Control Group and the Second Air Deployment Support Squadron, which will be activated in Romania until March 31. The date is provisional, as it can be extended until June 30.
Since Russia began the invasion of Ukraine, Spain has transferred various air-tactical detachments to NATO between February and last September for surveillance patrols against Russian air intrusions. The DAT Strela carried 133 servicemen and four Eurofighters to Bulgaria. The Vilkas DAT was installed at the Lithuanian Vilkas Air Base with eight F18 planes and 130 military. DAT Ambar sent four Eurofighters and 70 military personnel to Estonia to combine with a squadron of Luftwaffe fighters.