NATO mobilized the largest presence of allied air power this year in two training missions between the Baltic states and Romania.
NATO conducted in March 4 and 5, 2026 a large-scale aerial military exercise that brought together forces from several allied countries throughout the eastern flank of the Alliance. The operations were part of the initiative Eastern Sentryled by Allied Air Command (AIRCOM)with the aim of strengthening air defense and demonstrating the joint reaction capacity in the face of potential threats.
+ Wildcat helicopters are being sent to Cyprus to deal with the drone threat in the Mediterranean
+ GEK1500: affordable engine could equip drones, CCAs and missiles
+ Germany receives 52nd A400M and strengthens NATO’s strategic logistics capability
According to the Alliance, it was the largest collaboration of allied air power this year within type operations Flexible Deterrent Option (FDO)carefully planned deterrence activities to demonstrate unity and the level of military training.
C-A2AD training in Romania
The first mission took place on March 4th near Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base from Romania. The exercise focused on type operations Counter Anti-Access/Area Denial (C-A2AD)intended to train allied forces to neutralize enemy air defense systems and to ensure freedom of operation in airspace.
The following participated in the mission:
- fighter planes Mirage 2000D from France
- Eurofighter Typhoon from Germany
- F/A-18 Hornet from Spain
- F-16 from Romania
Germany currently maintains a detachment at the Romanian base to support the mission of reinforced NATO air policewhile Spain uses the location to train the concept of Agile Combat Employment (ACE)which involves more dispersed and flexible air operations.
The mission also included support aircraft, including a A330 MRTT francez and one Spanish A400M configured for in-flight refueling. Romanian land systems also participated, providing realistic threat scenarios.
The entire operation was coordinated by Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) to NATO din Torrejón, Spain.
Multi-domain exercise in the Baltic region
On the morrow of, March 5the focus of operations moved to northern Europe, covering the area from Baltic Sea to Finland. The exercise used the concept F2T2 (Find, Fix, Track and Target)which involves locating, identifying, tracking and neutralizing a target in a complex operational environment.
The mission brought together military resources from eight NATO countries and integrated capabilities from several areas:
- aircraft
- terrestrial systems
- cyber capabilities
- space resources
Among the participating means were:
- fighter planes Mirage 2000D from France
- F/A-18 Hornet from Finland
- refueling aircraft A330 MRTT from France and from the multinational unit MRTT
Air control and combat command centers of Poland, Estonia and Finland provided ground-based command and control, while ground-based air defense systems from Estonia, the United Kingdom and the United States they also participated in the training.
Canadian Joint Operations Command contributed capabilities of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).
This mission was coordinated by NATO CAOC in Uedem, Germanyresponsible for airspace control in the northern region.
NATO’s new air defense strategy
Initiative Eastern Sentry is part of NATO’s extensive surveillance activity known as enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA)and represents a new air defense model for the Alliance.
Instead of relying exclusively on fixed bases or permanent patrols, the concept adopts a dynamic and distributed postureenabling the air force to move rapidly along the entire eastern flank — from the Baltic States and Poland to the Black Sea.
According to NATO, this approach is growing situational awarenessimproves coordination among allies and strengthens the ability to respond quickly to emerging threats.
The two missions carried out in March had as main objectives:
- increasing interoperability between allied forces
- refining operational tactics and procedures
- integration of multi-domain operations in complex scenarios
Through these actions, the Alliance aims to strengthen its air and missile defense posture and to ensure the continuous protection of the airspace of the Member States.
Source and images: NATO. This content was created with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.
