The activity falls within the scope of cooperation with the contingents of NATO countries in the Baltic countries
In October, the Eurofighter Typhoon (F-2000) of the Air Task Force 36th Wing, based in Šiauliai in Lithuania, performed, for the first time in this context, air-to-ground training activities at the Cudgel range (Lithuania), as part of the cooperation activities to increase and implement interoperability with the land assets of NATO countries in the Baltic countries.
The objective of the activity was to improve tactical and exercise cooperation between NATO nations and allowed, after a careful analysis of the mission profiles and characteristics of the weapons used, to create from scratch the security areas necessary for this type of training activity, in technical jargon Weapon Danger Zones.
The sequence of events, typical of a Close Air Support (CAS) mission, saw a “talk-on”, i.e. a succession of instructions provided by the Lithuanian JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) personnel, to bring the pilot’s eyes and the airplane’s sensors to the designated target.
Once the target was acquired, the armament was guided on it with the help of a latest generation LITENING V LDP (Laser Designation Pod) which allows, through a laser sensor, to direct the armament in an extremely precise way, and thanks to the electro-optical and infrared sensor with which it is equipped, it allows targets to be acquired and tracked both day and night. Ground attacks with the cannon, on the other hand, also included evasion maneuvers against simulated surface-to-air systems and the simultaneous release of FLARES (defense countermeasures used to deceive the missiles’ infrared-guided optical sensors), training crews to react to threats in high-intensity combat scenarios.
The Air Task Force 36th Wing will ensure airspace defense operations over the skies of the Baltic Republics under NATO control, until March 2025, as part of Baltic Air Policing. Safeguarding the integrity of airspace is a permanent peacetime task that contributes to NATO’s collective defence. The Italian Eurofighters stand out, in this, for their tactical capacity expressed also thanks to the use of the LITENING V POD capable of guaranteeing identification of intercepted aircraft even at considerable distances. The activities carried out in the Operational Theater are conducted under the command and control of the Joint Summit Operational Command (COVI), which is the High Command of Defense responsible for planning, coordinating and directing joint exercises and operations at national and international level.
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