NATO fighter jet exercises to take place in northern Lithuania on Monday

NATO air policing fighter jet exercises will be held in northern Lithuania on Monday, the Lithuanian Air Force announced, as reported by LRT.

The drills, part of the alliance’s long-standing air policing mission in the Baltic states, may produce loud, explosion-like noises due to supersonic speeds in designated training zones.

In a Facebook post, the Lithuanian Air Force urged the public to stay calm and share the information with others. “The pilots are training to ensure the security of our airspace,” the statement read.

NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltic region has been active since March 2004, following Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia’s accession to the alliance. Since then, military personnel from Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, the UK, Spain, the US, Poland, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, Germany, and Italy have participated in patrols over Baltic airspace.