NATO news

 

Swedish Gripen jets practise landing on highways Swedish Air Force Gripen fighters practised the delicate art of landing on civilian highways during an exercise near Gothenburg, Sweden on 21 May 2024. Swedish fighter pilots learn how to land on civilian roads to give them extra flexibility in the event of a crisis. If airbases, airports or auxiliary landing strips are damaged or otherwise unavailable, the JAS 39 Gripen fighters can land on roads that have been deliberately engineered to accommodate landings by fighter jets. Once on the ground, the Gripens make use of a mobile forward arming and refuelling point (FARP), gassing up in a matter of minutes before taking off again. The Gripen is Sweden’s premier multirole fighter, with a reinforced landing gear that props the plane high enough above the asphalt to prevent debris from getting sucked down the jet intake. Click here to download the b-roll. Footage includes shots of Gripens landing on a road in rural Sweden, and interviews with Swedish officers. German Eurofighters patrol the Baltic skies from Latvia For the first time, jets assigned to NATO’s Air Policing mission are flying out of Latvia. A detachment of German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons are currently based at Lielvarde Air Base, where they’re tasked with ensuring the safety and security of the airspace over and around Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. NATO aircraft assigned to the Baltic Air Policing mission regularly intercept Russian aircraft when they don’t use transponders to identify themselves or fail to respond to hails from air traffic controllers, meaning they appear on radar simply as an unidentified contact. The Baltic Air Policing mission is led from Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania, where the Spanish and Portuguese Air Forces currently have fighters deployed. An additional nation usually covers the Baltic Sea from Ämari Air Base in Estonia, but fighters are temporarily stationed in Latvia while the Estonian Air Force improves the runway. Click here to download the video. You can also watch the video on YouTube. Click here to download the broll.  24 May 2024 NATO Secretary General attends the 2024 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia On Monday, 27 May 2024, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will take part in the 2024 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA) in Sofia, Bulgaria. Mr Stoltenberg will address the Plenary Session and participate in a Q&A session moderated by the NPA President, Mr Michal Szczerba. He will also meet the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Mr Dimitar Glavchev. Media Advisory: 08:05 (CEST)     Address by the Secretary General to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly 11:15 (CEST)     Joint press conference by the Secretary General with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Media Coverage: The Secretary General’s remarks, as well as the joint press conference, will be streamed live on the NATO website. Transcripts of the Secretary General’s engagements, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website after the events. For more information: For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office NATO Secretary General meets the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal On Monday, 27 May 2024, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Mr Paulo Rangel, at NATO Headquarters. There will be no media opportunity. Photographs will be available on the NATO website after the event. For more information: Contact the NATO Press Office