NATO: Specialist air control training at Baltic Control and Reporting Centre

The staff of the Baltic Control and Reporting Centre at Karmelava, Lithuania, with the members of the NATO Force Integration Training at the beginning of the training session. Photo by Rien Torn

SEP 14, 2017

KARMELAVA, Lithuania – A NATO Force Integration Team (NFIT) starts training for Baltic air force students at the Baltic Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) at Karmelava, Lithuania, in NATO air control and reporting skills.

One part of NATO’s deployment exercise Ramstein Dust-II 17 to Latvia includes the deployment of mobile NFITs to air control and reporting units in the Baltics and Poland. On September 11, 2017, the team’s activities started at the Baltic CRC in Lithuania, where they trained specialists from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in Air Battle Management, fighter and military aircraft control and tactical datalinks.

The NFIT members are normally stationed at NATO’s Deployable Air Command and Control Centre at Poggio Renatico, Italy, and one of their tasks is to provide specialist training for air operators.

The mission of the Baltic CRC staff is to collect data from subordinate control and reporting points to produce a recognized air picture that is transmitted to the Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem, Germany for a consolidated air picture. Another task of the CRC staff is to control interceptor fighters during NATO Air Policing missions and coordinate air traffic with the civilian Air Traffic Control organization.

Source: NATO

By

L. J. De Rothschild                                                                      

   Senior Editor