Turkish F-16s help guard Latvia’s skies during election

Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jets have completed a short deployment to Latvia’s Lielvārde Air Base, where they helped guard the country’s airspace around its parliamentary elections, Latvian Defense Minister Raivis Melnis said on Oct. 9.

Melnis visited the Turkish unit at the base on Friday to thank it for the deployment. The Latvian Ministry of Defense said the F-16s were in the country temporarily to support NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence mission, the alliance’s standing system for protecting member states’ airspace. The ministry did not say how many jets took part, how long they stayed or whether they were scrambled to intercept anything during their stay. Photos released with the visit show F-16s from the Turkish Air Force’s 181st Squadron.

“I thank Türkiye for its responsiveness and quick action in making a significant contribution to strengthening the security of Latvia’s airspace. The presence of Turkish fighter jets in Lielvārde demonstrates NATO’s ability to react quickly and effectively move forces where they are needed. Close allied cooperation, mutual trust and readiness to act together are an essential prerequisite for the security of Latvia and NATO’s entire eastern flank,” said Melnis.

Latvia, like Estonia and Lithuania, has no fighter jets of its own. NATO has protected Baltic skies since 2004 through its Baltic Air Policing mission, which normally bases allied fighters at Šiauliai in Lithuania and Ämari in Estonia. Latvia usually does not host permanently stationed jets, so the ministry said the Turkish deployment also tested how quickly NATO can move aircraft into the country and whether Lielvārde is ready to receive and support allied air forces.

The Turkish F-16s were one of three allied contributions Melnis requested to protect Latvian airspace during the Oct. 3 election for the 15th Saeima, Latvia’s parliament. Germany sent four Eurofighter jets to Lielvārde for the vote, and Italy also contributed aircraft. Turkish F-16s had briefly visited the base in late August as well.

The deployments follow a series of drone incursions into Baltic airspace that Latvian officials link to Russia’s war against Ukraine. In June, French Rafale jets flying from Lithuania shot down a drone over eastern Latvia, the first time NATO jets downed a stray drone over the country. In August, an Italian Eurofighter shot down another drone that Latvia’s Defense Ministry said had entered Latvian airspace as a result of Russian electronic warfare.