Ezh military exercises in Estonia. File photoHELSINKI, May 18.Aviation of NATO countries will take an active part in the exercises Siil 2022 («Hedgehog» -2022), which began on May 16 in Estonia, the Headquarters of the Defense Forces of the country said on Wednesday. more than 15 thousand Estonian military personnel, as well as allies from 10 NATO countries and alliance partners. The purpose of the maneuvers is to test combat readiness and assess international cooperation in response to various threats.The Estonian President acknowledged that Russia could not be «completely isolated» «The air forces of Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, the United States, France and the Czech Republic, as well as planes and helicopters of Estonia, are participating in the exercises,» the message says. In the sky over Estonia during the exercise, you can see L-39 jet trainers and M28 transport aircraft of the Estonian Air Force, Mirage M-2000 fighters of the French Air Force, F-16 fighters of the Belgian Air Force, Eurofighter Typhoon fighters and AW159 Wildcat helicopters of the UK, A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft and AV-8B Harrier II, MV-22 Osprey aircraft, AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-1Y Venom transport helicopters of the US Air Force, as well as Su-22 and F-16 fighters of the Polish Air Force, fighters of the Spanish Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon and Czech Air Force JAS 39 Gripen fighters. For the first time, the American landing aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge LHD 3 class takes part in the exercises, from which aircraft will fly both to the island of Saaremaa and to Pärnu County, as well as to the main region of the exercise in Valga and Võru counties, the Estonian military say. «Hedgehog» is the largest exercise of the Estonian Defense Forces. Previously, they were held in 2008, 2015 and 2018.
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