Germany to send Eurofighters to Latvia to protect airspace during election

Germany will deploy four Eurofighter jets to Lielvārde Air Base in central Latvia for about a week from late September to early October 2026, to help protect Latvian airspace during the country’s parliamentary election on October 3, 2026. 

According to the German Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg), the Latvian government asked allies for air defense support to ensure the election could be held safely, citing repeated drone violations of airspace over the Baltic states in recent weeks and months. 

“Germany stands reliably by the side of its allies that are particularly exposed on the eastern flank,” the ministry said. 

Four Eurofighters to deploy to Lielvārde Air Base 

The aircraft will come from the German Air Force’s Tactical Air Wing 74, based in Neuburg an der Donau. The BMVg described the detachment as a small contingent numbering in the mid-double digits, reinforced by specialists from other German Air Force units and other branches of the Bundeswehr. It did not give exact arrival or departure dates. 

NATO fighters have destroyed two drones over Latvia in 2026. A French Rafale shot down a drone over the Latgale region on June 8, and allied jets downed another near Rugāji in Balvi Municipality on August 14, 2026. In both cases, Latvia’s National Armed Forces said the drone had entered the country as a result of Russian electronic warfare. On August 20, 2026, the Latvian military identified the August 14 drone as Ukrainian, saying it had crossed into Latvian airspace from Belarus. 

Drone incursions have already shaped Latvian politics ahead of the vote. Defense Minister Andris Sprūds resigned on May 10, 2026, three days after a drone strike on an oil storage facility in Rēzekne. 

Germany to return for longer Eurofighter deployment in Estonia 

The BMVg framed the Lielvārde deployment as part of NATO’s enhanced Air Policing North (eAPN) and the alliance’s integrated air and missile defense. 

From December 2026 to March 2027, the German Air Force will return to the region for a longer rotation, deploying five Eurofighters and around 120 personnel from Tactical Air Wing 71 “Richthofen,” based in Wittmund, to Ämari Air Base in northwestern Estonia. The ministry said it will be the service’s seventh contingent at Ämari. 

Turkish Air Force F-16s have operated from Ämari since August 1, 2026, on a four-month deployment that opened NATO’s Baltic air defense mission, which replaced Baltic Air Policing on that date, according to the Estonian Defense Forces. The Turkish detachment scrambled after drones entered Estonian airspace on September 1, 2026. 

On September 15, 2026, an Italian Eurofighter shot down a drone over neighboring Lithuania. The following day, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda identified it as a Russian Gerbera-type drone, while Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas confirmed that an explosive charge had been found and neutralized. The post Germany to send Eurofighters to Latvia to protect airspace during election appeared first on AeroTime.

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