Squadrons from the A4 Force at RAF Wittering are deploying to support Royal Air Force Typhoon jets as they police the skies above the Baltic nations.
On Friday 26th April, trucks from No. 2 Mechanical Transport (MT) Squadron rolled out from the Cambridgeshire station en route to Eastern Europe loaded with ground equipment, tools and spares for the RAF jets.
An earlier convoy of ten wagons began the five day journey on Easter Monday. Accompanying both convoys are technicians from 5001 Squadron, ready to repair vehicles in the unlikely event of an HGV breaking down.
The UK and Poland will take turns to provide two armed aircraft on high readiness ground alert to deliver Baltic Air Policing. This is a purely defensive mission and is part of the existing NATO standing commitment.
The Typhoons will also conduct practice scrambles and training flights.
5001 Squadron has also dispatched a team of engineers to erect and equip the temporary working environments (portable hangars) in which the RAF Typhoons will be maintained and sheltered.
Fitting the Typhoons with the necessary payloads as they police Baltic airspace is a detachment from 93 Expeditionary Armaments Squadron, who will remain for the duration of the deployment.
Experienced suppliers from No. 1 Expeditionary Logistics Squadron will manage the materiel requirements of the Royal Air Force’s presence during the set up phase and remain in situ to maintain effective logistics support.
The A4 Force Elements Commander and Station Commander RAF Wittering, Group Captain Damian Alexander, said; “The apparatus of air power is more than aircraft alone; aircraft and aircrew obviously deliver the effect, but logistics is a vital enabler.”
He continued; “Effective and efficient logistics support, at range, is key to expeditionary air operations. In this case Force Elements from RAF Wittering and the A4 Force have responded in short order and their professional expertise and assured support will contribute to the success of this RAF deployment.”
Royal Air Force (UK MOD) press release
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