NATO Allied Air Command used a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer in an air-defence training mission over Lithuania and Latvia on 29 September, bringing bomber operations into a new Baltic drill that also involved German and Italian Eurofighter Typhoons, Spanish F/A-18 Hornets, Turkish F-16 Fighting Falcons and allied tanker aircraft. The exercise was flown in Baltic airspace and included ground-based Spanish and Latvian assets.
The mission formed part of NATO’s Flexible Deterrent Option concept and was described as the first participation of a U.S. bomber under the alliance’s new air-defence framework. That framework, introduced in September, is intended to streamline air and missile defence under common command-and-control procedures. French Air and Space Force personnel commanded the air component, while an Airbus A330 MRTT from the multinational tanker unit and an Italian KC-767A provided refuelling support.
The drill reflected NATO’s shift from traditional Baltic air policing towards a more integrated air-defence posture. Allied assets continue to rotate through the region on a four-month basis, with Šiauliai in Lithuania remaining a key operating base for allied aircraft. The exercise also comes as NATO leaders push for stronger counter-drone capabilities after recent airspace incidents in the region.