Eurofighters in Latvia

Riga (dpa) — Four Bundeswehr Eurofighters have arrived in Latvia to secure the country’s airspace during parliamentary elections in this Baltic EU and NATO member state early next month.

The fighter jets from Tactical Air Force Squadron 74, based in Neuburg an der Donau, landed at Latvia’s Lielvārde military airfield.

They will be stationed in Latvia for just over a week and will carry out tasks in support of NATO’s integrated air and missile defence, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence in Riga.

Latvia will elect a new parliament on October 3. Against the backdrop of repeated recent violations of Baltic airspace, the NATO member state had asked its NATO allies for support to ensure the parliamentary elections could be held safely.

The German Air Force had confirmed the deployment of the Eurofighters last week, ahead of its resumption of NATO airspace surveillance from Estonia for an extended period from December 2026.

Eurofighters in Latvia

“A concrete sign of NATO solidarity”

“Many thanks to Germany for its willingness to help and for our close cooperation!” Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs wrote in response to the announcement on X.

“This is a concrete sign of NATO solidarity and of our shared commitment to protecting Latvian airspace and ensuring the safety of the Latvian people,” he added.

Latvia borders Russia and Belarus to the east. Amid the Russian war on Ukraine, there have already been several incidents involving drones in the Baltic state.

On several occasions during Ukrainian attacks, stray unmanned aerial vehicles – which Kiev had used to strike targets in north-western Russia – have strayed into Latvian airspace and crashed. On two occasions, drones were shot down over Latvia by NATO fighter jets.