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May 3, 2014

Sweden allows NATO AWACS flights over Swedish air space





Translated from Swedish Language website:

Swedish government took the decision at its meeting on Wednesday.This state of SvD military and civilian sources familiar with the matter.The government’s decision, which has not yet been dispatched formally, means in practice ahead for NATO three. Armed Forces instructed to allow passages every other day during the period May 8 to 31 NATO planes will then fly between Norway and Poland through Swedish airspace.

NATO’s plan called AWACS, which stands for Airborne Warning & Control System. AWACS plan has systems to monitor air and sea territory at least 400 km away. Normally circles plan in an oval track during their searches, and can be in the air for eleven hours, without air refueling. The big four-engine aircraft is easily recognizable by a large circular radar antenna mounted as a disk above the fuselage.NATO’s fleet of AWACS planes have been following Russia’s aggression against Crimean mainly been deposited over Romania and the Black Sea to scout over Russia.

SvD saw one of these planes across the Baltic Sea to the base Siauliai in Lithuania on April 1.Then, ten’s air controllers on board to conduct an exercise in which the plane circled over the Gulf of Riga. But now it’s obviously the question of a more regular patrols east of Scandinavia.The Swedish government’s decision is unusual in several ways. On the government’s case list was facing Wednesday’s meeting, nothing about NATO but of “access to Swedish territory of Luxembourg military government aircraft.” NATO planes are namely registered in Luxembourg, although they are based in Geilenkirchen, Germany. It is therefore formally request from the Luxembourg government said yes to.

Normally, the government only permits the passage of foreign military plan for occasional overflights. Or it may be a foreign military planes flying in and out of a specific airport.This knowledge, this is the first time that this kind of condition for a whole series of passages. Still less has there been this kind of condition for AWACS. There is no objection to NATO’s tactical command levels at passages can also scout from Swedish airspace.AWACS plan is not the plan at any time. They are one of the few military resources, NATO owns and operates jointly (usually dressing in NATO national). The plan thus has a political significance.

Sweden is not a NATO and Swedish visitors have previously not been able to visit their base in Geilenkirchen. But as recently as March, the four Swedish MPs from both government and opposition base and informed of where to place business.The Swedish state can be seen as a sign that Sweden would like to support our immediate neighbors to the east as everyone is in the EU. It is also in Swedish interest to control the airspace over Russia improved by NATO surveillance.It is just over a year ago the Swedish air defense was surprised by Russian bombers on Good Friday. As late as Tuesday launched fighters from Sweden, Denmark and Poland against a Russian signals intelligence plane over the Baltic Sea.

There may therefore be a need for NATO to more efficiently on site, and from the air, able to lead their air forces. At the request of the Baltic NATO countries and Poland’ve got a number of enhancements added to the Baltic region.When the Crimea was occupied by Russia, NATO had only four fighters in the Baltics, and they were reinforced when the six planes from the United States. These ten U.S. F-15 aircraft in the Baltic States will be the first in May relieved of 16 fighters from four other NATO countries.


http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/rysk-ovning-mot-sverige-blev-en-vackarklocka_3479102.svd?sidan=6

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