Turkish F-16 fighter jets based stationed at Amari air base in Estonia on August 14 joined a mission to down a Russian drone, Nato Air Command (@NATO_AIRCOM) said.

Earlier in the day, two Italian Eurofighters from Siauliai air base in Lithuania and two Turkish F-16s from Amari, which serve on air defence missions over the Baltics, scrambled after an unidentified drone entered Latvia’s airspace. After positive identification, one of the Italian Eurofighters neutralised the potential threat over an unpopulated area.

The entire activity was coordinated with Nato’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) in Uedem, Germany and Allied Air Command at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

With the transition from air policing to air defence, Nato can now respond more flexibly to a wider range of threats, using a layered 360-degree approach across all operational domains, the command noted.

The presence of Turkish air force assets in northern Europe is a direct result of decisions sealed during the July Nato Summit in Ankara. Allies agreed to convert the two-decade-old Baltic air policing initiative into a fully-fledged air defence mission effective August 1.

Under the enhanced framework, five Turkish F-16 jets and ground crews were on August 1 dispatched to Amari, taking over rotational duties from the Portuguese Air Force. Ankara’s deployment runs through November 30.

Drones, border incursions and air defence scrambles have become daily headlines across the Baltic states and European media. The continuous narrative of vulnerability has accelerated an unprecedented rearmament push among Baltic nations. In 2026, Baltic defence expenditures are projected to approach nearly 5% of regional GDP.

“Nato is ensuring that our skies are protected. This morning, we saw Italian Eurofighters based in Lithuania and Turkish F-16s out of Estonia scramble, with one Eurofighter downing a drone over Latvian airspace,” Nato’s spokesperson (@NATOpress), Allison Hart, wrote in a tweet.

“Yesterday, both Romanian F-16s and Spanish F-18s scrambled after drones entered Romanian airspace near the Ukrainian border,” she added.