Two US Air Force fighters will conduct training flights in Estonia as part of the Agile Liberty exercise. This was announced on April 20 by the Estonian Broadcasting Corporation.
F-15E Strike Eagle fighters will arrive in Estonia for one day, where they will conduct training flights, during which they will work out the interaction of pilots with aircraft controllers, air strikes on the front edge and interception of air targets, the report said.
The purpose of the exercise is called the improvement of interaction between NATO allies. The 48th Fighter Wing of the US Air Force is stationed at Lackenheath Air Base in the UK, during the Agile Liberty exercise, the fighters were relocated to a base in Poland.
It is specified that the exercise zone will cover the vicinity of the Amari airbase, the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and the flights will take place at an altitude of at least 1.5 km. The Estonian Air Force expressed the hope that the locals will treat the exercises with understanding.
On April 13, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the United States and NATO were moving troops to the borders of the European part of Russia. He noted the strengthening of the grouping of the American military in Poland and the Baltic countries and the intensity of aerial reconnaissance in comparison with 2020 by two times, naval – by one and a half times.
Earlier, on March 24, the foreign ministers of the Baltic states, during a meeting with the head of the US State Department, Anthony Blinken, confirmed the importance of the American military presence in the region.
According to Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets, the Baltic states, as Russia’s neighbors, “know about the danger posed by it,” therefore they appreciate Washington’s desire to communicate with them on this issue.
In May-June, NATO will hold the largest since the Cold War exercises Defender Europe 2021. During the exercises, they plan to practice defensive and offensive actions in the Baltic States and Eastern Europe.