Spain to put F-18 jets on Baltic Air Policing mission for first time ever
Spain, which will be taking over the Baltic Air Policing duties performed out of Estonia's Ämari Air Base next week, will carry out the mission using F-18 Hornet fighter jets.
The deployment will mark the first time ever that F-18s are deployed to Ämari, military spokespeople in Tallinn said.
Spain will be taking over the mission from the German Air Force. The takeover and handover ceremony will take place at the Amari base at noon next Wednesday.
Thus far, NATO allies carrying out the Baltic Air Policing mission out of Ämari have used either F-16 or Eurofighter jets.
Originally created for the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a carrier-capable multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft. In additional to the to the U.S. Navy and USMC, the F-18 is currently used by the armed forces of Finland, Spain, Switzerland, Canada and Australia.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS