US Air Forces in Europe has described a substantial concentration of Allied air activity over Europe on 18 August as routine training conducted alongside Allies and partners, declining to provide further detail on operational security grounds, the UK Defence Journal understands.
Open-source flight tracking through the morning showed at least five tankers airborne alongside two NATO E-3A Sentry AWACS aircraft and a G550 Conformal Airborne Early Warning aircraft, with activity extending from the North Sea across Germany and into Poland. Six USAF F-35A Lightning II aircraft operating out of RAF Lakenheath were tracked over the same period. A Turkish Air Force E-7 was also tracked in the wider area at 30,000 feet.
Asked whether the activity was pre-planned, a response to ongoing events, or a deterrence effort, a US Air Force spokesperson said:
“U.S. Air Forces in Europe routinely conducts training activities alongside Allies and partners, and yesterday’s air integration exemplifies interoperability, readiness, and deterrence. By practicing coordination and communication in realistic training scenarios, we strengthen our collective defense and ability to maintain security and stability in the region. Due to operational security considerations, no additional details will be provided at this time.”
US Colonel Martin O’Donnell, spokesperson for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said:
“NATO is a defensive Alliance and Allies are constantly honing their defensive abilities. The Allied activity today on 18 Aug 26 in the Baltic region involving U.S. and Norwegian fighter aircraft, Polish ground forces, a NATO E-3A Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) and more, which is being overseen by the U.S., is one example of this approach.”
Allied Air Command said it would not disclose further detail for operational security reasons and deferred subsequent questions to US Air Forces in Europe on the basis that the activity was US-led. Neither command said whether the activity fell under Eastern Sentry, the enhanced air posture NATO launched over its eastern flank following repeated airspace violations.
The Norwegian fighter contribution and the Polish ground force element referenced in the NATO statement were not visible on open-source flight tracking.
Activity was not confined to the Baltic as a separate concentration of Allied intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft was operating around northern Norway and the approaches to the Barents Sea through the same morning. An RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint, was tracked in the region alongside an RAF P-8A and a Norwegian P-8A. A NATO A330 MRTT was operating in the area too.
