t the start of 2014 few would have
believed that an annexation of
European territory was likely, but
in March that year Russia took control of
the Crimean peninsula under the pretext
of protecting the local Russian population.
A month later NATO developed measures
to reinforce collective defence in response
to the developing Ukraine crisis, mainly
by strengthening NATO’s eastern and
southeastern borders. Air training exercises
were stepped up in Poland and Romania and
the Baltic Air Policing mission was reinforced.
On April 24 this year four Royal Air Force
Typhoons from No 3 (Fighter) Squadron at
RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, landed at the
Romanian air base of Mihail Kogălniceanu,
accompanied by a 150-strong detachment of
personnel from various RAF bases, together
making up 135 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW).
It’s charged with an Enhanced Air Policing
(eAP) mission under NATO command – thefirst-ever such operation in a country that
has an air force capable of conducting the
air policing mission independently. NATO
members use the term ‘air policing’ to
describe the collective use of fighters to
preserve the integrity of alliance airspace.
The eAP – named Operation Biloxi by
the RAF – augments Romania’s own
capabilities as part of NATO’s Assurance
Measures, introduced in 2014. A NATO
Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) spokesperson
explained: “Assurance is flexible and
scalable in response to fluctuations in the
security situation facing the alliance.
“Assurance Measures are designed to
send a strong and unambiguous message
to the public. Situated on NATO’s eastern
flank, Romania is one of the countries
to which NATO is demonstrating its
resolute and unabated solidarity.
“NATO’s air policing mission is purely
defensive. It’s a routine and fundamental
component of how NATO provides
security to its members. It’s neither
in response to any specific threat
nor directed against any nation.”
The mission is overseen by AIRCOM and
executed via the alliance’s Combined Air
Operations Centres (CAOCs) at Uedem,
Germany, and Torrejón, Spain.AIRCOM’s peacetime air policing mission
involves the use of the Air Surveillance and
Control System (ASACS), Air Command
and Control (Air C2) and appropriate
air assets: so-called Quick Reaction Air
(Interceptor), or QRA(I), fast jets.
Air policing scrambles respond to
military and civilian aircraft approaching
allied airspace and not following
international flight regulations. Often
these aircraft fail to properly identify
themselves, communicate with air traffic
control (ATC) or file flight plans.
Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea,
NATO has seen a significant increase in
Russian military air activity. Moscow’s
focus began shifting south, from the
Baltics towards the Black Sea, in 2014 and
even further south into Syria in 2015.
“NATO fighter jets executed well over
700 A-scrambles [Alpha, or live scrambles]
in response to Russian Federation
Air Force jets in 2016,” the AIRCOM
spokesperson confirmed. On July 25
the RAF announced that Romania-based
Typhoons had scrambled to respond
to Tu-22M bombers over the western
Black Sea (see United Kingdom, p8-9).
The Forţele Aeriene Române (FAR,
Romanian Air Force) fulfils its air policingNATO has responded to
increased Russian military air
activity over the Black Sea by
reinforcing Romanian Air Force
LanceRs with RAF Typhoons, as
Liviu Dnistran discovers.68 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comENHANCED AIR POLICING: ROMANIA
Romanian LancerR pilots continue their QRA
mission as before. The only diff erence is
that pilots and aircraft from another NATO
member state now share it. MiG-21MF-75
6487 is a single-seat LanceR C from Escadrila
861 Aviație Luptă. All photos Liviu Dnistrandefenders
Black Sea
A