Italy has deployed its Eurofighter Typhoons for air-to-ground training activities at Šiauliai military base in Lithuania for the first time.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance interoperability with NATO assets in the Baltic region and strengthen regional security.
“Safeguarding the integrity of airspace is a permanent task in peacetime that contributes to the collective defense of NATO,” stated the Italian Ministry of Defense.
As part of the deployment, the Italian troops from the 36th Wing Air Task Force established new Weapon Danger Zones to enhance safety measures.
Following this initial exercise, the squadron is set to remain in the area until March next year.
Surface-to-Air Threat Simulations
The drills focused on training crews to respond to threats in high-intensity combat scenarios.
Italian and Lithuanian forces improved target acquisition methods at considerable distances using LITENING 5 target designator pods, which are equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors.
The training included simulated scenarios to practice evasion maneuvers against surface-to-air systems and the simultaneous release of flares, countermeasures used to deceive infrared-guided sensors of missiles.
Baltic Air Policing
The importance of NATO’s presence in the Baltic region has grown in recent years amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war and rising regional tensions.
The latest training events between the forces of Rome and Vilnius fall under the Baltic Air Policing mission. This NATO-led initiative, established in 2004, safeguards the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with participation from 17 nations.
Under the mission, allied nations rotate deployments on a four-month basis to air bases in Lithuania and Estonia to maintain deterrence against potential threats.