Turkish F-16s join NATO air policing efforts in Romania

By Gizem Nisa Cebi

ISTANBUL (AA) - A detachment from the Turkish Air Force has deployed four F-16 fighter jets at Fetesti Air Base in Romania to bolster NATO's air policing efforts, NATO said on Tuesday.

The Turkish F-16 jets sortied alongside Romanian fighter jets “to safeguard NATO airspace on the eastern flank and the Black Sea region,” the NATO Air Command said on X.

The deployment of Turkish fly sorties marks Türkiye’s active participation in the alliance's enhanced air policing mission.

Türkiye has been a member of NATO for over 70 years, and boasts its second-largest army.

NATO's air policing mission serves as demonstration of the alliance's resolve to defend its members and uphold international security.

This joint endeavor also underscores NATO's commitment to collective defense and enhancing regional security amid heightened tensions and security concerns in the region, including the ongoing Ukraine war, now in its third year.