21 AUG 2017
CONSTANTA, Romania –
Four Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-188 fighter aircraft arrived at Mihail
Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania on August 20 for a four-month deployment under
NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission taking over responsibility from the Royal
Air Force.
Together with their Romanian colleagues flying MiG-21s,
Canadian pilots will secure the skies over Romania, sending a solid signal
of NATO’s resolve,
commitment and solidarity. The Canadian detachment consists of 135 personnel
drawn from across the Canadian Armed Forces.
"An Air Task Force is an agile and flexible
organization that is always ready to employ air power and provide support
wherever and whenever Canada requires. Our Air Task Force in Romania is
proud to participate in the cooperative defence activities that support NATO’s
enhanced Air Policing,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Hickey, commander of the
detachment.
"The RCAF has ample experience deploying under NATO
Air Policing missions. It deployed CF-188 jets to the Baltic States
and Iceland in support of the long-standing routine NATO mission," he
added.
Romania conducts its own Air Policing, safeguarding NATO
airspace. Across the south of NATO territory, Combined Air
Operations Centre (CAOC) Torrejon, Spain is responsible for all Air
Policing on behalf of NATO’s Allied Air Command.
Until the end of the year jets from both air forces will
conduct sorties in concert with one another. For the next days, the Canadian
F-18s are scheduled to conduct familiarization flights before starting their
mission.
Story by Allied Air Command Public Affairs
Office
Source: nato.int
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