Frag Out! Magazine

Many commentators in Poland are convinced that French stance in NATO and the EU is pro-Russian. They, however, seem not to notice that it was Armée de l'air that sent aircraft to support the then Baltic Air Policing asset and, by doing that, inaugurated its permanent reinforcement. Since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, French Air Force have had appeared over the Baltic Sea for the third time. In 2014, crews of Dassault Rafale fighters from EC 2/30 and EC 1/7 squadrons joined the Polish 22nd Air Force Base in Malbork (22. BLT) to conduct patrols of the airspace over Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. In the half of the standard four- month period, the crews were replaced by pilots from EC 1/5 and EC 2/5 squadrons , while Rafale fighter with Mirage 2000-5 and Mirage 2000C. At that time, after the number of NATO BAP assets was reduced to two, France took the role of the Leading Nation. The French performed their duties with Mirage 2000-5 from the Lithuanian Siauliai airbase (in 2013, they were there, Mirage F1CR from ER 2/33; in 2011- Mirage 2000 from EC 2/5 and EC 1/12; in 2010 - Mirage 2000 from EC 1/12; and in 2007 - Mirage 2000 from the same unit). The pilots and the ground personnel was coming from EC 1/2, BA 116 Luxeuil airbase(the famous Cigognes, meaning "Storks"). The whole detachment consisted of one hundred people, which is a rather usual for all countries visiting Siauliai. Contrary to e.g. Poland, France did not have their control officers in Kermelav, where the CRC (Control and Reporting Centre) is located. A peculiar novelty was that a part of the asset responsible for arbase force protection (or, to be more specific, QRF zones, so the places where French soldiers stationed) included commandos from CPA 20 and CPA 30. They were the first who brought a K-9 unit with them - well-trained German shepherds that were to support soldiers in everyday tasks. One of the dogs, humbly named "Jon", was even symbolically awarded the NATO Medal. Germans from TaktLwG 74 in Neuburg were the augmenting nation of the 42nd rotation. They used Eurofighter Typhoons from the Estonian Amari airbase . Four Mirage 2000-5F fighters (40/2-EX, 57/2-ET, 62/2- ED, 67/2-MH) were stationed at "solid" hangars, but "soft" bunkers, known well from the "hot" period of 2014-2015, are still at their positions and are used during rotations of assets. The bunkers are also kept operational, just in case there's a need to strengthen air forces. The configuration of Mirage fighters was not officially revealed, but pictures and unofficial communication may suggest that each aircraft carried a combination of Mica IR/EM missiles and cannons. In the aerial photographs, it is also possible to notice that the armament was unsymmetrically distributed. French fighters were not equipped with targeting pods. Additionally, the under-wing or under-belly fuel tanks were carried. Of course, there was no information about the performance of aircraft used in Latvia, but the French boasted about low failure www.fragoutmag.com

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