Lithuanian Air Force

The Lithuanian Air Force is the military aviation of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. It is formed from professional military servicemen and non-military personnel. Units are located at Zokniai airport near the city Šiauliai.

Structure and Role
The Lithuanian Air Force has over 1,000 personnel. The role of the air force is to survey, guard and defend the airspace of Lithuania, support the Lithuanian Land and Naval Forces, carry out SAR and special operations, to airlift cargo and personnel.

Baltic Air Policing
After Lithuania joined NATO organization back in 2004, its (alongside Latvia's and Estonia's) air space is protected by NATO. NATO members provide usually 4 fighter aircraft, based in Lithuania, to police the Baltic States’ airspace. The deployments rotate between NATO members (that started in March 2004 with Belgium Air Force F-16s) and most NATO members that operate fighters have made a deployment to Lithuania. The Baltic States are considering in the near future to protect their airspace on their own.