MINSK. Jan 15 (Interfax) - NATO fighter jets patrolling the airspace over the Baltic Sea will be relocated from the Amari airbase in Estonia to Lielvarde, Latvia, the Polish Defense Ministry's Wojskowy Instytut Wydawniczy (WIW) said on Monday.
"The NATO fighter jets patrolling the airspace over the Baltic Sea will operate from Latvia, instead of Estonia as before. This is a temporary relocation, which will probably end in late November. The relocation is due to pending repairs of the Estonian airbase's runway," the institute said, citing NATO Allied Air Command.
According to the institute, the reconstruction of the Amari runway will begin in March and "a mobile control center will be set up" for the reconstruction period to "enhance NATO surveillance in the Baltic Sea region."
The fighter jets redeployed from Estonia will be joined by Germany's Eurofighter jets in late March, the institute said. "The jets will perform warning and training flights for nine months," NATO Allied Air Command said.
Before going on duty, the German pilots will perform trial flights in February and will be certified for the mission in Latvia.
Pairs of Baltic Air Policing fighter jets have been on 24/7 duty since 2004. The airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is patrolled by NATO fighter jets, as "these countries do not have their own platforms capable of intercepting aircraft," the institute said