A week after the accidental launch of a missile in Poland, NATO tested its air defenses. On Wednesday, the French MAMBA system installed at the Capul Midia base in Romania “repelled” a simulated air attack.
Turkish F-16s, Spanish Eurofighters, American EA-18 Growler electronic warfare aircraft and French Rafale Marines took off from the aircraft carrier. Charles de Gaulle participated in the course. “Such exercises ensure that NATO forces can operate together and are ready to respond to any threat from any direction.“The Atlantic Alliance commented, assuring that it was a routine exercise. MAMBA is equipped with 8 “Aster” interceptor missiles and “Arabel” multifunctional radar.
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Rare and expensive systems coveted by Ukraine
In the context of the Ukrainian war, no show of force is trivial, as emphasized within the Alliance. Since the Russian invasion, NATO has strengthened its defenses on its eastern flank. The manpower of the “advanced presence” battalions, air police missions have increased significantly. So on Friday, four Rafales will be sent to Lithuania to take over the Czech Air Force.
In May, France sent a MAMBA system to Romania. It allows you to protect the port of Constanta “cruise missile launchers, aircraft, drones and tactical ballistic missiles– they say inside NATO. Patriot missile batteries were deployed in Slovakia by Germany and Poland by the US, and NASAMS by Spain in Latvia. These rare and expensive systems are also coveted by Ukraine, which needs to protect its cities and critical infrastructure from Russian bombing.
The construction of the “multi-layer” air defense network of the Allies has again become a priority in the face of Russia. It is based on a complex architecture that includes low-, medium-, or high-altitude interception capabilities, but also long-range detection capabilities. In Romania, they are provided by the Aegis Ashore air defense station, which has been operating since 2015. The leadership of these means of defense is concentrated within NATO, in particular, at the American base in Ramstein. In the event of a threat, the speed of decision is crucial.
Prior to its deployment in Romania, the MAMBA system had never been tested on the NATO network. Since then it has been regular. Routine exercises of varying magnitude are performed once a month. One hundred Air Force soldiers were sent to Romania to ensure its operation.
Source: Le Figaro
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