Air Force Times:

NATO is building up its defenses in Eastern Europe to fend off Russian aggression in a new effort it calls “air shielding.”

“NATO air shielding is an increased air and missile defense posture along the alliance’s eastern flank, implemented in the wake of Russia’s war on Ukraine. It is purely defensive,” a NATO military official told Air Force Times on Monday.

The United States, Germany and the Netherlands have set up Patriot anti-missile systems in Slovakia and Poland; France brought its “Mamba” surface-to-air missile defense system to Romania; and Spain is operating its National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System in Latvia. The equipment can take out cruise and ballistic missiles as well as manned and unmanned aircraft.

Additional fighter jets are bolstering eastern defenses as well. The U.S. recently sent its F-35A Lightning II jets from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to Estonia, and F-22 Raptor fighters from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to Poland as part of the expanding mission.

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