NATO has deployed its E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft to Lithuania to support enhanced vigilance in the Baltic region.
The deployment includes three E-3A aircraft operating from Lithuania to monitor the Baltic Sea and bolster NATO’s presence along its eastern flank.
It aims to increase surveillance, strengthen defense posture, and improve operational flexibility across multiple locations.
This includes training activities, allowing NATO crews to practice rapid response to changing situations while enhancing cooperation.
The E-3A provides airborne surveillance and command functions, supporting a range of NATO missions including air policing, maritime monitoring, and counterterrorism.
It also supports embargo enforcement, evacuation operations, and crisis response.
The presence of the aircraft in Šiauliai, northern Lithuania, “ensures continuity of operations and demonstrates Allied readiness,” stated NATO.
“Šiauliai Air Base plays a key role in supporting Allied forces and rotational Air Policing capabilities. Its infrastructure boosts NATO’s air power, interoperability, and deterrence in response to the evolving geopolitical environment,” it added.
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The aircraft can detect, track, identify, and report aircraft at low altitudes, and provides control for allied fighter aircraft.
It also monitors and identifies maritime contacts, providing coordination support to allied naval forces.
Data collected by the E-3A AWACS aircraft is shared directly with other platforms and command centers on land, at sea, or in the air through digital links in near real-time.
The E-3A can monitor airspace within a range of roughly 400 kilometers (250 miles).
Three aircraft flying in overlapping patterns maintain continuous radar coverage across large areas, such as Central Europe.
