The Vilkas Tactical Air Detachment Has Reached the Halfway Point of Its Air Policing Mission in Lithuania

•  Under harsh winter conditions, Spanish airmen carry out their airspace surveillance and protection duties on NATO's eastern flank

The Tactical Air Detachment (TAD) Vilkas (Baltic Air Policing / BAP 70) has reached the halfway point of its mission after more than two months of deployment at the Siauliai air base in Lithuania.

During this time, the contingent has demonstrated the logistical efficiency of its resources and the readiness of its Air and Space Force airmen, while maintaining a high level of operational intensity.

Specifically, around fifteen real air policing missions (A-Scramble) have been successfully carried out in the service of protecting NATO airspace on the eastern flank. These activities have been conducted both within the framework of the Persistent Effort Air Defence Plan and under the framework of the Enhanced Air Surveillance Eastern Sentry, deployed in Poland.

In addition, TAD Vilkas military personnel have upgraded their training and education in Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) and Close Air Support (CAS) capabilities, thanks to the development of multinational missions programmed by the Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Uedem (Germany), as well as exercises such as the joint-combined Tiger Hunter, among many other activities.

As a significant milestone at the halfway point of the mission, the rotation of Spanish personnel at Šiauliai Air Base (Lithuania) took place on 28 January. Thus, Wing 15 and Wing 31, as the main units of the deployment, completed the rotation of a significant part of their personnel under the harsh winter weather conditions in Lithuania, where temperatures this year have dropped to as low as –26°C.

‘The success of the rotation was made possible thanks to the commitment and involvement of the airmen in the face of the difficulties and multiple contingencies of the day. They carried out the mission in perfect coordination with our allies in the Lithuanian army, who also rose to the occasion,’ said TAD Force Commander Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Garcia Allen.

During the rotation, an Airbus A330 aircraft from the Spanish Air and Space Force conducted the logistical airlift of personnel and equipment between national territory and the area of operations, while also transporting cargo for the Spanish Army deployments in Latvia. Thanks to the personnel of the Air Deployment Support Squadron all logistical manoeuvres were executed in a single day, allowing the incoming contingent to become operational the day after arrival in the area.

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

TAD 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 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 in this way 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.