NATO has deployed Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft to Bucharest, Romania.
The aircraft, say NATO, will support the Alliance’s reinforced presence in the region and monitor Russian military activity.
“As Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine continues to threaten peace and security in Europe, there must be no doubt about NATO’s resolve to protect and defend every inch of Allied territory,” said NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu.
“Our AWACS can detect aircraft hundreds of kilometres away, making them a key capability for NATO’s deterrence and defence posture. I thank Romania for hosting the aircraft, which makes an important contribution to our early warning,” she added.
In response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, NATO has increased its air presence in eastern Europe with additional fighters, surveillance aircraft, and tankers. Since February 2022, NATO AWACS have conducted regular patrols over eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea region to track Russian warplanes near NATO borders.
Nato/French even USAF E-3’s been flying up and down the Polish/Romainian borders nearly everyday, Flying fom Germany or Turkey (France)
I’m convinced they had these deployed as far back as 2021. Flightrader24 has shown them for a while, maybe Inam wrong.
Yes awacs aircraft have been around the area for a while. The article is stating that they are now operating out of Bucharest in Romania.
They are being dispersed forward from Geilenkirchen
Sir Gerald Howarth, a former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the MoD – and ex Minister for International Security Strategy – has thrown the cat among the pigeons by demanding that NATO deploy ‘boots on the ground’ to Ukraine on Sky News
https://t.co/7LJ3Nksniq
This is a bit rich coming from a Tory politician who was heavily involved in Cameron and Osborne’s malign 2010 SDSR – the one where we sold off the Harriers, cut the Army by thousands of troops (actually making enlisted men serving in Afghan redundant), scrapped one of our two armoured brigades, the Tornado ADR, lots of RN ships etc etc.
Very few people actually have a clue what the armoured forces can and can’t do with what they have. As they think the uk is top player the assumption is that the forces are also able to do everything. I Don’t know what it would take to get them to see what cuts have actually done.
Good job Corbyn didnt get in then, we would be supplying Russia with any weapons we had left after he had disbanded the armed forces!
A very interesting article I came across regards the Nimrod (As usual it will delete after 7 days):
https://i.postimg.cc/8cpZqFjz/img319.jpg
Part 2:
https://i.postimg.cc/SNz9mSCS/img321.jpg
Such a sad story. It should of been a new build aircraft and all the costs of that should of been known.
I would still of preferred the Japanese sub Hunter aircraft to the P8. It looks the part. Hopefully the P8 will serve the RAF well.
Completely agree, we should have built a ‘product’ that could be resold and the key to that would have been a using an in production commercial airframe. The MPA market has come alive over the past decade.
However its not too late, France are considering a program and UK could join if the conditions were right.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/01/23/france-seeds-its-own-maritime-patrol-aircraft-program/
Nice looking cockpit.
“BAE Systems was awarded a £2bn contract for the remanufacturing of 21 Nimrod MR mk2 aircraft to the new Nimrod MRA4 (Nimrod 2000) specification including new mission, sensor and avionics systems.”
And what do we have to show for it?
4 and 3 for those who enjoy a good crossword!