Germany has launched a four-member flying unit at Ämari Air Base in Harjumaa, north Estonia, to bolster NATO’s command and control missions in the Baltic region.
The German Deployable Control and Reporting Centre (DCRC) Red Hawk was established following integration tests that included command post interoperability and civil air traffic identification drills.
The new unit utilizes a grid of radar systems to track and identify targets in NATO’s air territories, employing various flight units during alert and training scrambles under the alliance’s air policing.
The Red Hawk team is Germany’s latest contribution to NATO’s defense postures, joining the country’s four Eurofighters from the 74th Tactical Air Wing at Neuburg, and the ground-based DCRC from the 3rd Control and Reporting Area at Schönewalde.
Aside from airspace surveillance, the German DCRC will also support training and exercises at the air base.
Securing the Skies
NATO has been tightening its members’ air defense in the Baltic region due to growing concerns brought by the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Countries such as Poland, France, and Spain have taken on rotating policing missions, promoting the alliance’s goal of high interoperability among its members.
Earlier this month, two German Air Force jets intercepted two Russian planes flying close to NATO territory without a flight plan.
Latvia’s Control and Reporting Center reported the incident to the Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem, Germany, which allowed German Eurofighter Typhoons to escort the aircraft flying over the Latvian coast.
