Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) aircraft with the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force will land on January 17 at RoAF 90th Airlift Base in Otopeni, near Bucharest, the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) informed, according to Agerpres.

The AWACS aircraft are stationed in NATO Air Base (NAB) Geilenkirchen, Germany, and their transport to Romania takes place „in the context of the application of measures to strengthen the defensive posture of the Alliance in the Black Sea region,” stated MApN.

AWACS aircraft will perform, in the next period, reconnaissance and surveillance flights on the territory of NATO member countries.

NATO has increased its military presence in the eastern part of the Alliance in response to Russia’s illegal aggression in Ukraine with additional fighter jets, surveillance aircraft and tanker aircraft.

Since February last year, AWACS aircraft have carried out regular patrols in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea region to track Russian aircraft near NATO borders.

Agerpres