The Netherlands’ Patriot air defence system is to be deployed in Lithuania this week, the Armed Forces said on Tuesday.
The Patriot long-range air defence system will be brought for the Baltic Connection 24 (BALTCON24) exercise, which Lithuania is hosting for the first time from July 7 to 19, it said.
The exercise will involve the Lithuanian Air Force’s Air Defence Battalion with NASAMS medium-range air defence systems, the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Patriot system, Spanish and Portuguese fighter jets carrying out NATO’s Baltic air policing mission, and the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ Air Operations Centre and Air Force aircraft.
“The deployment of the Patriot air defence system for the bilateral exercise in Lithuania marks the first step in implementing the decision made at last year’s NATO summit in Vilnius to establish a rotational air defence model to strengthen NATO’s integrated air and missile defence,” the ministry said.
The exercise will train the redeployment and integration of capabilities, unified command and control, and the conduct of air defence operations.
No sound, smoke simulations, or explosive devices will be used during the exercise but there will be an increased movement of military vehicles and various types of aircraft during both day and night.
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