© Ints Kalnins / Reuters
The stealth fighter jets landed in the Baltic country on Tuesday, where they were met by both foreign and local journalists as well as Estonian Minister of Defence Margus Tsahkna. The aircraft are due to stay in the region for several weeks, the Estonian MoD confirmed to Postimees, during which time it will conduct training exercises with other US and NATO aircraft.
"F35s in Estonia! Training deployments like this build interoperability w/our partners, allies," tweeted General David L. Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force.
© Ints Kalnins / Reuters
The fighters were earlier deployed to England, where they arrived at Lakenheath Royal Air Force Base on April 15, having made the journey from Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The deployment marked the first time American F-35A fighter jets have made an appearance in Europe, though a few countries already used them as part of their air fleet.
The F-35s arrival comes amid the biggest NATO build-up in Europe since the Cold War, in which thousands of troops have been stationed across Poland and the Baltic states. In March, 800 British soldiers began arriving in Estonia, while Germany has sent troops and tanks over to Lithuania. Earlier in April, 1,350 NATO soldiers arrived in northeast Poland in line with the planned buildup.
NATO decided to boost its military presence at the Russian border in the wake of the political crisis in Ukraine and a perceived Russian intervention there. Among the most vocal members of NATO, Poland and the Baltic states claimed that Russia could attack them after the events in Ukraine, prompting leading members of the alliance to agree on troop deployments.
Russia has consistently criticized the NATO buildup on its doorstep, describing it as a threat to regional security.
"We deplore that deployment for it raises tensions in Europe along the border between NATO and Russia. Russia doesn't pose any threat to Estonia nor any other NATO member state," Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko recently told the Daily Mail.
The F-35A, used by the US Air Force, along with its counterparts the F-35B and F-35C, used by the Marines and Navy respectively, are fifth-generation stealth fighter craft that can be used as both reconnaissance planes and tactical bombers.
Reader Comments
Whatever, have most americans heard Russia's Zircon class missiles:
[Link] The claims are:
"over 6,125 km/h, making it practically impossible to intercept."
"With a rumored range of at least 400km (1,000km, according to other reports)"
(Such figures are usually UNDERstated, except in the west where the capabilities of such pieces of junk like these overpriced - huge understatement - that deprive pilots of oxygen, have computers take control? erroneously, have ejection seats that break pilot's necks, and would easily lose in a dogfight to modern Xth generation soviet fighters.
Or this about F35 - "F-16 vs. F-35 Dogfight - The Reason (excuse) Why A 40-Year-Old Jet Was Victorious" ...worldwarwings.com/f-16-vs-f-35-dogfight/ [Link]
Please remember, the 9/21/2016 USRael Headchopper Coordinators in their 'hidden'* bunker deep in Syria's mountains, got hit by a Kalibre Cruise missle, which only does up to Mach 3 in its terminal approach and "we" (if "we" The West are really ISIS's controllers, which they are) lost an admitted 30 (likely more) Western CIA Quatari and Mossad "intelligence" (sic) agents. "Several US, Turkish, Saudi, Qatari and British officers were also killed along with the Israeli officers. The foreign officers who were killed in the Aleppo operations room were directing the terrorist attacks in Aleppo and Idlib." [Link]
"Russian attack planes were already operating over Syria at the time of their first missilie strike in 2015, by Kalibrs and could easily have launched air attacks against those targets at much lower cost. However, by showing off its long-range naval strike capabilities, Moscow not only advertised its technological prowess, but literally advertised the Kalibr missiles capabilities to foreign buyers—who can opt to purchase a shorter-range variant known as the Klub missile. There are well over a dozen different variants in the Kalibr missile family, varying in launch platform, range, target profile and speed, varying in length from six to nine meters, but all packing a 990-pound warhead or a nuclear payload. The antiship variants—designated the SS-N-27 Sizzler by NATO, or the 3M54T or 3M54K for the ship- and submarine-launched versions respectively—have shorter range, estimated between 270 and 410 miles, and are designed to skim low over the sea to avoid detection. Benefitting from vector-thrust nozzles on the ship-launched versions, the active-radar homing Kalibr missiles are also designed to perform evasive maneuvers instead of making a straight-line approach. As they close within short range of an enemy ship, the missiles accelerate from their cruising speed of Mach 0.8 to Mach 3, and descend to just 4.6 meters in altitudes—making them extremely difficult for a ship’s antimissile defenses to shoot down.
Whatever, most Amerikans are surely unaware of Russia's Zircon class missiles:
[ [Link] ]. The claims are:
"over 6,125 km/h, making it practically impossible to intercept."
"With a rumored range of at least 400km (1,000km, according to other reports)"
(Such figures are usually UNDERstated, except in the West where the capabilities of such pieces of Military junk are routinely OVER rated, like these overpriced F-35s - huge understatement - that deprive pilots of oxygen, have computers take control? erroneously, have ejection seats that could / would have broken pilot's necks, and would easily lose in a dogfight to modern Xth generation Russian fighters. Or this about the overpriced F35* - "F-16 vs. F-35 Dogfight - The Reason (excuse) Why A 40-Year-Old Jet Was Victorious" ...worldwarwings.com/f-16-vs-f-35-dogfight/ [Link].[Link]
"Russian attack planes were already operating over Syria at the time of their first missilie strike in 2015, by Kalibrs and could easily have launched air attacks against those targets at much lower cost. However, by showing off its long-range naval strike capabilities, Moscow not only advertised its technological prowess, but literally advertised the Kalibr missiles capabilities to foreign buyers—who can opt to purchase a shorter-range variant known as the Klub missile. There are well over a dozen different variants in the Kalibr missile family, varying in launch platform, range, target profile and speed, varying in length from six to nine meters, but all packing a 990-pound warhead or a nuclear payload. The antiship variants—designated the SS-N-27 Sizzler by NATO, or the 3M54T or 3M54K for the ship- and submarine-launched versions respectively—have shorter range, estimated between 270 and 410 miles, and are designed to skim low over the sea to avoid detection. Benefitting from vector-thrust nozzles on the ship-launched versions, the active-radar homing Kalibr missiles are also designed to perform evasive maneuvers instead of making a straight-line approach. As they close within short range of an enemy ship, the missiles accelerate from their cruising speed of Mach 0.8 to Mach 3, and descend to just 4.6 meters in altitudes—making them extremely difficult for a ship’s antimissile defenses to shoot down.f [Link]. [Link]
Please remember, the 9/21/2016 USRael Headchopper Coordinators in their 'hidden'* bunker deep in Syria's mountains, got hit by a Kalibre Cruise missle, which only does up to Mach 3 in its terminal approach and "we" (if "we" The West are really ISIS's controllers, which they are) lost an admitted 30 (likely more) Western CIA Quatari and Mossad "intelligence" (sic) agents. "Several US, Turkish, Saudi, Qatari and British officers were also killed along with the Israeli officers. The foreign officers who were killed in the Aleppo operations room were directing the terrorist attacks in Aleppo and Idlib." [Link] [Link]
In Contrast, only 23 of 59 Trump-Launched Tomahawk Cruise missiles hit their target in Syria.
1. Where did the others go?
2.And what happened to #60? Did the Navy run out of matches to launch it with?
R.C.
* I'd guess (it's quickly researchable) that the cost of ONE to THREE F-35's is higher than all that Russia has spent in Syria so far in fighting and killing far more terrorists, whether radical, or merely 'our' headchopping moderate (yet still headchopping) terrorists, than the US in several years of bombing the empty desert, (best guess.) Your average AmeriKan doesn't know what the Military industrial complex is up to. Again,
THOSE WHO KNOW, DON'T CARE;
THOSE WHO CARE, DON'T KNOW.
RC
(P.s., SOTT, please feel free to remove redundant partial 'reply' to graeme15b - sorry. Thanks!)
rc