US Air Force F-15C Eagle during an Operation Noble Eagle sortie over Washington DC in October 2007
The US Air Force will guard the airspace over the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia for four months starting from January, according to a report.
Four US F-15C Eagle fighter jets will patrol the Baltic airspace round-the-clock until April, RIA Novosti reports, citing Lithuaniaâ„¢s military.
A mission to guard the airspace over the Baltic nations has been launched since 2004 when the ex-Soviet republics joined NATO.
Air patrols have been carried out on a three- to four-month rotation basis by 14 NATO states from Lithuaniaâ„¢s first air base in Zokniai, near the northern city of Siauliai.
The NATO deployments usually comprise of four fighter jets and between 50 and 100 support personnel.
The three Baltic countries, located in Northern Europe and members of the European Union, pay about $4 million a year to cover the deployment costs.
AHT/HJ
Source: Press TV