43Sqn QRA for Latvia/Estonia
from the RAF News Website:-
ROYAL AIR FORCE POLICES BALTIC STATES
On the 14th October, Royal Air Force fighter aircraft assumed responsibility for policing the airspace over the three Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Two Tornado F3s from 43 Squadron, based at RAF Leuchars, Fife, touched down at the former Soviet Zokniai Air Force base near Siauliai in north western Lithuania to provide those countries with 24 hour, seven-day-a-week quick reaction fighter cover for the next three months. More Tornados will join them at the end of this month.
The Baltic countries became full members of NATO earlier this year, and requested the Alliance to bolster their air forces with fighter aircraft to provide them with a credible air defence presence.
NATO agreed to provide a small force of fighter aircraft from other Alliance countries, with Belgium providing F-16s from April for three months, followed by Denmark for a further three months.
Britain is the third country to contribute fighters and the Tornados will fly from Zokniai Air Base until January 2005. Squadron Leader Dan Storr is the 43 Squadron Detachment Commander.
The mission, explained Squadron Leader Storr, was to police airspace: “It should be exactly the same as in Quick Reaction alert in the UK, so we are expecting nothing different in Lithuania. But I must emphasise we are on a policing mission here – we identify, photograph and report”.
The deployment was delayed a little because improvement work was required in order to operate the Tornado F3. A Lithuanian workforce has been working to complete the work in time. “I think it is going very well, all runway repairs have been completed,” said Squadron Leader Storr. “The hardstanding areas are being extended and four environmentally controlled aircraft shelters are to installed. Everything is on schedule”.
The vanguard of the British detachment of more than 80 ground crew, engineers and other support personnel arrived at Vilnius International Airport, Lithuania, by RAF VC-10 five days earlier to prepare for the deployment.
But approximately 20 other RAF personnel have been in Lithuania since the start of the NATO Air Policing Mission in April, providing support for both the Belgian and Danish contingents.
An overland convoy transporting fire trucks, aircraft refuellers, forklift trucks, Land Rovers and other support equipment arrived at the air base in the early hours of Monday (11 Oct) after a three-and-a-half day journey by road and ferry.
“All the equipment arrived the day after we arrived which gave us time to get embedded in, look around and get familiar with the area and get it in position,” said the detachment’s Senior Engineering Officer, Squadron Leader Alan Rogers-Jones.
“The only environmental issue is the temperature. We planned for it to be warmer, but in fact it has been much colder – in the mornings it is about minus 5 degrees so at night it will be much colder than that, and we are preparing for that,” he said.
New environmentally controlled aircraft shelters, called Armadillos, are to be constructed in about a week’s time, he added.
Equipment is being stored in old Lithuanian hardened aircraft shelters. “Additionally the Host Nation is providing us with vehicles and drivers to help us get around. The Lithuanians have been excellent in the support they have given us”, said Squadron Leader Rogers-Jones.