RAF Typhoon fighters return to Estonia

RAF Typhoon fighters from 3(Fighter) Squadron have returned to Estonia as part of the on-going support to the British Army-led NATO battlegroup deployed.

The Typhoons have been based at Amari Air base Estonia and have been conducting challenging air land Integration training exercises with the deployed ground controllers known as JTACs or Joint Terminal Air Controllers.

The first sorties flown were conducted at night over a training area in eastern Estonia before returning the next day to conduct daylight simulated air strikes and also “show of force” low passes.

The pilots for the daylight sorties faced the additional challenges of conducting their training in between heavy flurries of snow a new experience for them. The simulated air strikes however were accessed as having been successful and achieved the objectives the ground commander set out to achieve.

One of the pilots, Ed, a Flight Lieutenant, said: “The training sorties provided an excellent opportunity to work with the deployed JTACS in very challenging and unfamiliar surroundings”.

The British-led NATO battlegroup the Typhoons trained with, is formed around the 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh and is the Estonian based element of the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence that was first announced at the NATO summit at Wesaw in 2016.

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