The Vilkas Tactical Air Detachment (DAT in Spanish) participates in several A-Scramble missions during the last week

•  Baltic Air Policing (BAP) 70, led by Spain and deployed in Lithuania, actively contributes to the protection of the Alliance's airspace

Over the last few days, the Vilkas Tactical Air Detachment (DAT) — which constitutes the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) 70 contingent — has carried out several rapid reaction air policing missions — known as A-Scrambles — in response to the detection of unidentified aircraft and possible drones in the vicinity of NATO airspace.

Thus, on six days in December—the last one being the 15th—the Spanish detachment responded with F-18M fighter jets and the support of an A400M that provided in-flight refuelling in response to alerts issued by the Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem (CAOC-U), located in Germany. In all cases, the Spanish aircraft returned to their air base in Siauliai, Lithuania, without incident.

In addition to these alert missions, numerous training flights have been carried out during this period, with the aim of maintaining and improving the military capabilities of the deployed units, while promoting cooperation and interoperability with other member countries in the area.

Among these, the Flexible Deterrence Option (FDO) mission stands out, in which both F18M and A400M aircraft flew over Romania. Spain participates in the implementation of NATO's Deterrence and Defence concept through joint-combined missions and exercises such as this one. This demonstrates the solidarity, determination and shared defence capability of the territory and populations of our allies, defending the rules-based international order, which is particularly relevant at a time when the host nation has declared a state of emergency in response to the wave of balloons coming from Belarus.

In addition to its operational missions, the Detachment has welcomed a team from NATO's Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) for its operational certification in accordance with established standards and has received a visit from the commander of the Lithuanian Air Force, Colonel Antanas Matutis, who was able to take a training flight in the F18M.

DAT “Vilkas”: Spain's contribution to air protection on the eastern flank

DAT “Vilkas”, which means “wolf” in Lithuanian, is a tactical air detachment of the Air and Space Force that contributes to airspace surveillance and protection tasks on NATO's eastern flank.

Since early December 2025, Spain has assumed leadership of the Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission as a key component of NATO's Operation Persistent Effort. Likewise, DAT “Vilkas” continues to participate, within the framework of the enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) “Eastern Sentry” defensive reinforcement in its area of responsibility, to prevent any unidentified incursions into allied airspace, thus contributing to the collective security of the Alliance and, therefore, of Spain.

In terms of its composition, it is made up of 200 military personnel from different units and specialities —air operations, logistics and security, among others— and has a total of twelve aircraft: eleven EF-18M Hornet fighters, belonging to Wing 15 (Zaragoza), and one TK23 A400M from Wing 31 (Zaragoza). Together, they make up the largest air deployment to date on the eastern flank, and together they will demonstrate their effectiveness in air policing missions.