NATO's northern skies

The Baltic States of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia joined NATO in 2004 and since then NATO members have taken it in turns to ensure air sovereignty is maintained across the Baltic region.

During the Luftwaffe's tour of duty operating from an airfield in Lithuania, they brought four Eurofighter Typhoons powered by EJ200 engines, and a support team of 120 personnel to fulfil NATO obligations in this air policing role.

Lithuania occupies a territory of some 65,000km squared and shares common borders with Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and the Kaliningrad Region of the Russian Federation.

The aircraft are on a 15-minute scramble time, 24/7.  When a scramble order is received the Eurofighters are initially asked to locate and perform a visual identification of the encroaching aircraft. The Eurofighter is ideal for this role due as it has a very fast climb rate, goes supersonic and is fuel efficient.

Some of these attributes are due to the two powerful 20,000lb thrust Eurojet EJ200 turbofans that blast out the power necessary for the aircraft's outstanding performance characteristics.