Czech aviation will patrol the Baltic airspace, the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic Jana Černochová announced.

The relevant statement was published on the website of the Ministry of Defense of the country.

The Air Policing mission will be extended for two months at the request of the Lithuanian side. This task is performed by the JAS 39 Gripen of the Czech Air Force.

They note that Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia do not have their own capabilities to ensure the protection of the airspace over the Baltic. NATO forces are responsible for this.

Starting this August, there is no one to replace the Czechs, so Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas asked the Czech Republic to continue the operation until the end of September 2022. In October, Denmark will take over.

“The continuation of this mission confirms that the Czech Republic is one of the reliable partners within NATO, which is twice important during the time of Russian aggression in Ukraine,” Černochová noted.

The mission extension does not require a new governmental or parliamentary approval, as it can happen based on the existing mandate.

The Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic noted that the Czech Air Forces are capable of implementing the request, so she decided to approve it.

The relevant expenses totaling approximately 14 million Czech crowns (about $550 thousands) will be mostly covered by Lithuania.

Starting this September, Czech Republic will help Slovakia to protect its airspace until Bratislava receives recently ordered F-16 aircraft. The new fighters are to replace MiG-29s. The cooperation between countries is expected to last for about a year.