Turkey deploys five F-16s to Estonia for NATO mission

Turkey has deployed five F-16 fighter jets to Estonia for NATO's enhanced air policing mission, the Turkish defence ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said the jets would take over from Portuguese counterparts and remain at the Amari military base near Tallinn until November 30.

"During this mission, our units will contribute to the security of Baltic airspace as part of NATO's joint air defence activities," the ministry said.

The NATO mission has been reinforced since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The Baltic states, which border Russia, have reported a growing number of drone intrusions since then.