Turkey announced on Thursday that it will deploy fighter jets to Estonia and Romania as part of NATO’s enhanced air policing missions, reinforcing the alliance’s efforts to secure allied airspace during peacetime.
According to the Turkish Defence Ministry, the deployment to Estonia is scheduled for four months, from August to November 2026. This will be followed by a rotation in Romania from December 2026 to March 2027.
The ministry highlighted Turkey’s history of contributing significantly to NATO air policing operations. Previously, Turkey carried out enhanced missions in Poland between July and September 2021 and in Romania from November 2023 to April 2024.
These planned deployments come as NATO strengthens air defenses in response to repeated Russian violations of allied airspace. Turkey will also host the next NATO summit in July, further underscoring its role within the alliance.
