Photo: USAF/Staff Sgt. Kevin Long
The easternmost part of Europe is currently engulfed in a war the size and scope of which the continent has not seen since the end of the Second World War. Back in February, Russia invaded Ukraine, and the two national armies have been at it ever since, with dramatic consequences for the invaded country.
Now, on its eastern part, Ukraine borders Russia, but to its west and south lie NATO countries Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. To stop the war from spilling over the border into these regions, thus pulling the alliance into the conflict, but also as a means to reassure the fears these nations might have when faced with the Russian aggression, a lot of NATO assets are now in the region.
Most of the airborne assets fly as part of an “increased air and missile defense posture along the Alliance’s eastern flank” called Air Shielding. Both fighter jets and ground assets are involved in this long-term mission, and they operate around the clock in the skies over the countries we mentioned above.
“This is purely defensive, and a key component of NATO's enhanced deterrence and defense posture,” NATO says about the mission. "Shielding involves deployments ranging from a few weeks to several months at air bases and key locations in the eastern part of the Alliance.”
America is in the region as well, and there’s no better proof of that than the pic of this here F-22 Raptor, captured on film as it was departing the vicinity of a KC-135 Stratotanker from which it refueled, and going straight into our Photo of the Day section.
The plane is seen here flying over an undisclosed part of Poland, and we know for a fact it’s American because, well, only Americans use these planes. We’re not told what unit it is deployed with, or from where it took flight.
Most of the airborne assets fly as part of an “increased air and missile defense posture along the Alliance’s eastern flank” called Air Shielding. Both fighter jets and ground assets are involved in this long-term mission, and they operate around the clock in the skies over the countries we mentioned above.
“This is purely defensive, and a key component of NATO's enhanced deterrence and defense posture,” NATO says about the mission. "Shielding involves deployments ranging from a few weeks to several months at air bases and key locations in the eastern part of the Alliance.”
America is in the region as well, and there’s no better proof of that than the pic of this here F-22 Raptor, captured on film as it was departing the vicinity of a KC-135 Stratotanker from which it refueled, and going straight into our Photo of the Day section.
The plane is seen here flying over an undisclosed part of Poland, and we know for a fact it’s American because, well, only Americans use these planes. We’re not told what unit it is deployed with, or from where it took flight.
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