AWACS aircraft in Romania

State-of-the-art NATO aircraft will conduct recon and surveillance flights over Romania

Ştefan Stoica, 18.01.2023, 13:51

The
most severe security crisis of the past decades, triggered at NATO’s eastern
borders with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, forced the Alliance to move
quickly to strengthen its eastern flank, which includes Romania as well.

As
many as 5,000 Allied troops are now on Romanian territory, and the
multi-national Allied elements which were part of NATO’s Response Force prior
to the conflict were turned into a NATO battle group spearheaded by France.

The
eastern flank bolstering process does not end here. As Russia’s illegal war in
Ukraine continues to threaten peace and security in Europe, there must be no
doubt about NATO’s resolve to protect and defend every inch of Allied territory,
the Alliance emphasised in a recent news release announcing the deployment of 3
AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) planes to Romania.

The
aircraft, regularly stationed in Germany, have been deployed to an air base
near Bucharest, together with 180 specialised troops. They will conduct recon
and surveillance missions in the Alliance’s eastern part. The planes are
equipped with state-of-the-art equipment able to track and identify other
aircraft over 400 km away. But they do not carry weapons, and are only used as
air command posts. General Daniel Petrescu, chief of staff, spoke about the
importance of this mission:

Daniel
Petrescu: Since February 2022, AWACS planes have conducted regular patrol
missions in Eastern Europe and in the Baltic Sea region. The joint missions to
be carried out here will also bring value added in terms of enhanced cohesion
between the Romanian staff and the personnel of the NATO fleet, as well as in
terms of inter-operability.

The
German troops’ AWACS mission in Romania is an important signal of
trans-Atlantic and European solidarity, the German Ambassador to Bucharest said
in his turn. According to him, this mission being commanded by the German
brigadier general Stefan Neumann and the large number of German servicemen
participating in it once again prove that we stand by our Romanian partners.

With
the help of the surveillance planes, the German diplomat added, an important
contribution is made to strengthening the south-eastern flank and to supporting
the NATO early warning system. Brigadier general Stefan Neumann said he was
impressed with the professional and flexible support provided by the Romanian
forces to this mission, which in his opinion once again proves how well NATO
operates. With the Airborne Early Warning and Control System, NATO has a strong
and flexible airborne and maritime surveillance capacity, the German official
added. (AMP)