Lithuanian Air Force Personnel train alongside the Vilkas Tactical Air Detachment

• Lithuanian and Spanish service members receive training on the EF-18M Hornet as part of NATO’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept

 Under the direction of the Vilkas Tactical Air Detachment (TAD), members of the Lithuanian Air Force continue their training on the EF-18M Hornet within the framework of Aircraft Cross-Servicing (ACS). This service forms part of the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) model, which seeks to multiply NATO’s air power by following five general principles: agility, interoperability, survivability, continuity of air operations, and operational readiness.

The purpose of the ACS program is to provide flexible and affordable means to achieve rapid aircraft regeneration while reducing the logistical footprint and maximising interoperability among NATO member states.

Previously, Lithuanian aircraft maintenance personnel received instruction at Zaragoza Air Base. Once the training plan was completed, they continued their training alongside airmen from Wing 15 deployed at Šiauliai Air Base.

At the Ādaži Training Area (Latvia), a multinational Joint Fires exercise (JFires) was conducted, integrating Close Air Support (CAS) and Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) missions. This activity was coordinated between the Vilkas TAD, which provided F-18M aircraft and a Tactical Air Control Party (TACP), and service members integrated into NATO’s Multinational Battlegroup in Latvia.

The Vilkas continues its primary mission of Baltic Air Policing (BAP) as well as the enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) Eastern Sentry, ensuring the security and protection of airspace on the eastern flank.

Personnel from the detachment, alongside members of the Lithuanian Air Force stationed at Šiauliai Air Base, took part in the 4th Solidarity Cross organised by the Spanish association La Estela de Ayo. The event aimed to support disadvantaged individuals in memory of Commander Eduardo Fermín Garvalena 'Ayo', who passed away in a fatal aviation accident in 2020.

Vilkas TAD: Spanish contribution to the air protection of NATO’s eastern flank

The Vilkas, which means wolf in Lithuanian, is a tactical air detachment of the Spanish 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 fundamental component of NATO’s Operation Persistent Effort. The Vilkas TAD also continues to participate within the framework of the enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA) Eastern Sentry, reinforcing defensive measures in its area of responsibility to prevent any unidentified incursions into Allied airspace, contributing to the collective security of the Alliance and, consequently, of Spain.

The detachment consists of 200 service members from different units and specialties, including air operations, logistics, and security. It operates a total of twelve aircraft: eleven EF-18M Hornet fighter jets from Wing 15 (Zaragoza) and one TK23 A400M from Wing 31 (Zaragoza). Together, they constitute the largest air deployment carried out to date on the eastern flank, demonstrating the effectiveness of air policing missions.