István Zoltán Vasadi’s archive photo

Hungarian Defence Forces’ Baltic Air Policing Mission Comes to an End

11:30 December 1, 2025

Starting from 1 August this year, the Hungarian Defence Forces performed the tasks of the Baltic Air Policing Mission. Since the 2004 NATO accession of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, in the spirit of collective defence, in four-month rotations (“blocks”), the NATO allies guarantee the security of the airspace of the three Baltic countries. Stationed on Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania as Block 69 of the BAP Mission, the Hungarian Defence Forces Baltic Air Policing (BAP) Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Detachment was participating in the mission already on the fourth occasion after 2015, 2019 and 2022. The Hungarian Gripen fighter jets were scrambled on 22 occasions, and the Hungarian pilots logged more than 400 flight hours in four months.