On 1 September the Czech Air Force signed off as guardians of the Baltic skies after four month on NATO Quick Reaction Alert from the Siauliai air base in Lithuania.

Two Gripen fighters have been on 24 hour standby, ready to be in the air 15 minutes after an alert. During this period a record eight Alfa scrambles were recorded, live incidents compared to the regular two training scrambles performed every work day.

“All Alfa scrambles ended with a visual identification and we were always on time”, says detachment commander Major Jaroslav Mika.

An active air force

With more than 400 flight hours and 336 sorties during their stay the Czech Air Force has been one of the most active air forces ever in the NATO rotation to help the Baltic states with their air policing. The Czech Gripen fighters have been responsible for an area four times bigger than the Czech Republic, with a long coast to protect. This was done at the same time as their normal Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) had to be maintained from the home base of Caslav in the Czech Republic.

“I’m proud that we with a total of 14 aircraft and 18 QRA ready pilots can be on NATO QRA in two separate areas during a four month period”, says Major Mika.

Never missed an opportunity to practice

The Czech Gripen pilots each have between 120-160 training scrambles with four aircraft every work-day was not just a test to see that the aircraft could be airborne in 15 minutes. Major Mika explains:

“We always try to use QRA also for training purposes. We do not have many limitations, only that we are not allowed to touch the trigger since we are carrying live missiles.”

From the start the Czech Air Force arrived with a detachment of 75 people including seven operational pilots and 30 technicians working three shifts. After a while 10 support personnel were sent home since the host, the Lithuanian Air Force, provided more service than first anticipated. During the preparation stage it was also planned for some support personnel from the Swedish Air Force, but they were never needed. The only things needed were some new moving maps and some extra pilot equipment.

Source: SAAB