Portuguese Air Force personnel stationed at Ämari Air Base (BAA) in Estonia have successfully completed their participation in the NATO mission, Assurance Measures 2026 (AM26), during which they identified around 200 contacts of interest to NATO, out of a total of 51,000 recorded contacts, whilst on board the P-3C CUP+ aircraft of 601 Squadron – “Lobos”.

During the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Intelligence (RSI) mission, the force covered an area of over 1.3 million square kilometres and carried out more than 80 hours of operational flight time dedicated to maritime patrol and surveillance, across a total of 15 flights.

The force, comprising 38 military personnel responsible for supporting the operation of the P-3C CUP+ aircraft, returned to Portugal on 23 July, following a month-long deployment in Estonia. The main objective of Operation Assurance Measures is to carry out RVI operations in the area defined by NATO, contributing to maritime security in the Baltic Sea, in order to guarantee freedom of navigation and help enhance situational awareness in that region.

Through this mission, the Air Force has reinforced its commitment to NATO and to the Alliance’s collective security, carrying out the eighth deployment of Squadron 601 in the Baltic Sea region and the third from BAA in Estonia.

The Detachment Commander of AM26, Major Maia, stated that it had been “the most challenging mission, after the first, due to the unpredictability of the behaviour of non-allies in the Baltic”, also highlighting that this is the first time they have received several acknowledgements of the value that the missions of Squadron 601 – “Lobos” – hold for the Alliance.