Spain is leading the Baltic Air Policing mission for the first four months of 2016 with four Eurofighter Typhoon jets based at Šiauliai, Lithuania. Four Belgian F-16 fighter jets are based at the Ämari airbase in Estonia.
Allies take up the air patrols for a four-month rotation. Germany and Hungary had been patrolling the airspace over the Baltic countries since September.
NATO has been protecting the Baltic skies since 2004, when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined the Alliance.
NATO Allies protect their airspace on a 24/7 basis. NATO air policing missions help Allies who do not have their own fighter aircraft to guard their airspace.