Three Eurofighters from Wing 14 integrate into Tactical Air Detachment “Paznic”

• With the arrival of the aircraft, the Spanish contingent strengthens deterrence and air defence on the Alliance’s eastern flank

Three Eurofighter aircraft from Wing 14 have landed at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, in Constanța, Romania, arriving from Albacete Air Base. The three pilots join the 50 Spanish airmen who arrived last Sunday as the advance party at the Romanian base. All of them are part of the Tactical Air Detachment (TAD) “Paznic”, which over the next three weeks will assume air surveillance and deterrence tasks on the Alliance’s eastern flank, integrated into Block 70 of the NATO Enhanced Air Policing operation (eAP-70).

This mission represents an important opportunity to train interoperability among Allied nations, as TAD “Paznic” will operate alongside the German Air Force’s 71 Squadron to conduct joint exercises and missions within the framework of Agile Combat Employment (ACE).

The flight to Romanian territory covered approximately 2,600 kilometres and lasted around four hours, overflying several Allied countries. The operation included an air-to-air refuelling manoeuvre, which was carried out with the support of an A400M aircraft from Wing 31, enabling extended flight endurance.

According to Captain Cegarra, pilot of one of the Eurofighters, “covering such long distances in a fighter aircraft requires sustained focus for hours and requires very precise planning and coordination, especially during refuelling”.

Upon arrival in Romania, Tactical Air Detachment “Tigru” provided logistical assistance and technical support for the deployment. Through Spain’s participation in enhanced air policing missions, NATO acknowledges the high level of readiness, professionalism and responsibility of the Spanish Armed Forces, placing Spain in a position of credibility and leadership.

TAD “Paznic”: Spain’s commitment to NATO air defence

The mission of TAD “Paznic” is to contribute to NATO’s deterrence and defence on the Eastern Flank through the surveillance of airspace as part of Enhanced Air Policing, within NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD). It is part of Operation Persistent Effort, which also includes TAD “Vilkas” in Lithuania, with the deployment of eleven EF-18M Hornet fighters from Wing 15 (Zaragoza) and one TK23 A400M from Wing 31 (Zaragoza); TAD “Tigru”, with the AN/TPS-43M air surveillance radar, also deployed in Romania; and, finally, NASAMS air defence units in Latvia and PATRIOT units in Türkiye.