BUCHAREST, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Four British Typhoon jets Monday started their four-month service in Romania to support NATO's Southern Air Policing mission.
The four Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters touched down on last Monday at the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" Airbase in southeastern Romania and will perform patrolling missions in the Black Sea region along the Romanian MiG-21 Lancer aircraft in the coming four months.
During the tasks, Typhoons will typically fly with four Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles, four AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, along with the internal Mauser 27 mm cannon.
It is for the first time when the Typhoons are deployed on Romania's territory.
The deployment is part of the implementation of the Action Plan for the assurance of the NATO operational capacity on the Alliance's eastern flank in both the north and the south areas, thus proving the NATO unity and determination as a response to the security environment challenges, according a release by Romania's National Defence Ministry.
The joint air police missions aim at developing the reaction and deterrence capacity, as well as strengthening the interoperability between the Romanian and British air forces, the release added.
The mission of patrolling the skies along NATO's eastern border has been intensified following the Ukraine crisis.
