Spanish jets leave Ämari, but the Baltic air policing mission continues
Four Spanish Air Force EF-18M Hornet fighters left Ämari Air Base in Estonia on October 9 after a five-week rotation in NATO's Baltic air defense mission. The mission goes on, as it is carried out by rotating air forces from different countries.
Four EF-18M Hornet fighters of Spain's Air Force left Ämari Air Base in Estonia on October 9, after five weeks of service in NATO's Baltic air defense mission. The mission runs on a rotational basis, and the Spaniards shared the base with aircraft of Turkey's Air Force. The jets flew straight to Zaragoza in Spain, a journey of about four hours including mid-air refueling over Germany.
Who was deployed
The Spanish detachment numbered around 110 personnel, mostly from Zaragoza, in particular from Wing 15 and the Air Deployment Support Squadron. Besides pilots, it included specialists in maintenance, weapons, logistics, communications, force protection, medical support and administration. The Spanish and Turkish units share the base but keep their own national command structures, and coordinate flying schedules, airspace and joint training daily.
What the mission involves
The unit's commander, Maj. Antonio Mancebo Marín, says roughly 20 percent of training in the Baltics now relates to drones, including seek-and-destroy drills. In August this year, a Spanish Hornet downed a Russian-made drone over Romania. Quick Reaction Alert is maintained around the clock, with about 15 minutes from alarm to being airborne. Launch orders come from the Combined Air Operations Center at Uedem in Germany. During the rotation the detachment flew over 200 hours without incident.
Spain has now deployed fighters to Ämari five times: in 2015, 2017, 2022 (together with the German Air Force), 2023 and this year.
Estonian support
The Spanish officers stress that Estonian host-nation support is fundamental, covering airfield infrastructure, air traffic coordination, fire and rescue, security and daily logistics.
The EF-18M is Spain's modernized version of the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. Spain was the only user nation permitted by contract to modify the aircraft itself, mostly through software changes.
