Turkish F-16s take over NATO Baltic air mission in Estonia

Five Turkish F-16 fighter jets and dozens of personnel from the 181st Jet Squadron Command, known as Pars Squadron, have deployed to Estonia's Ämari Air Base to carry out round-the-clock alert duty as part of NATO's Baltic air policing mission, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense (MoND) said.

According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, the deployment of five F-16s and personnel to Ämari Air Base has been completed, with the mission running from August 1 through November 30, 2026.

🇹🇷 Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanlığımıza bağlı 181’inci Jet Filo Komutanlığı 29 Temmuz 2026 tarihinde Estonya Amari Hava Üssüne intikalini tamamladı, 30 ve 31 Temmuz 2026 tarihlerinde çevre tanıma uçuşları gerçekleştirdi, planlı brifingler ve hazırlıklar tamamlandı.

31 Temmuz 2026… pic.twitter.com/e47onos5Lo

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) August 1, 2026