Romanian Chief of Defense Staff, general Daniel Petrescu, declared on Tuesday on the occasion of the arrival of the AWACS jets at the RoAF 90th Airlift Base in Otopeni, that this represents a significant reinforcement of the allied presence on the eastern flank with „very important additional air capabilities that complement NATO’s ground and air capabilities already deployed to Romania”, according to Agerpres.

Since February 2022, AWACS aircraft have been conducting regular patrol missions over Eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea region.

„In the coming weeks our main air transport base – the 90th Airlift Base in Otopeni – will host and closely cooperate in conducting reconnaissance and surveillance flights in the Alliance’s skies. The joint missions that will be carried out here will also bring added value as concerns the increased cohesion between the Romanian personnel and that of NATO’s surveillance fleet, as well as in terms of interoperability,” said Daniel Petrescu.

He pointed out that the Romanian Army and the Romanian Air Force are permanently contributing to NATO efforts to maintain regional and global stability.

„We stand together, shoulder to shoulder, with our fellow allies to ensure a robust collective defense, including by securing the safety of the national and allied airspace. In the line of collective defense, the allied defensive structure in the Black Sea region has been strengthened and rebalanced. The collective defense battlegroup stationed at Cincu, the bolstering of the forces and capabilities of the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base mainly, but also in other locations, as well as the augmentation with new allied troops of the Multinational Brigade South-East are concrete examples of the firmness of European and transatlantic relations in Romania,” Petrescu also said.

According to the Chief of Defense Staff, the multinational commands headquartered in Romania had a significant contribution to the coordination of allied forces on the eastern flank.

„In this context, the presence of AWACS aircraft in Romania is part of the set of decisions adopted in Madrid. In our country, the AWACS jets will contribute to the complete operational picture, ensuring early warning and strengthening the allied response capacity,” said Petrescu.

The Ministry of National Defense announced last week that Airborne Warning and Control System jets of NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control Force headquartered in Geilenkirchen – Germany would land on January 17 at 90th Airlift Base in Otopeni, as part of a plan to strengthen the defensive posture of the Alliance in the Black Sea region.

„In response to Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, NATO has increased its air presence in eastern Europe with additional fighters, surveillance aircraft, and tankers,” the ministry said.

AWACS aircraft will perform in the next period reconnaissance and surveillance flights solely over the territory of NATO countries.

Agerpres