Inside rare French Rafale C Baltic Air-Policing deployment

As the Rafale Cs of French Air and Space Force take on Baltic Air-Policing duties, Babak Taghvaee examines how they are protecting NATO territory

For only the second time in their history, four Rafale C multi-role fighter jets of the French Air and Space Force (FASF) 30th Combat Wing has deployed to Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania to carry out NATO's enhanced Air Policing (eAP) and Baltic Air-Policing (BAP) missions.

Armed with MICA-EM Active radar homing and MICA-IR Infrared homing air-to-air missiles, they will carry out dozens of Alpha and Tango scrambles during their four month deployment to Lithuania from December 1, 2022, just six days after they arrived on November 25.

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