A NATO E-3A Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft is shown in this undated photo. Multiple NATO AWACS planes have been deployed to Turkey amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, according to an alliance spokesman. (NATO)
NATO surveillance aircraft are keeping an eye on the alliance’s southern border amid ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran.
NATO Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft operations in Turkey have shifted their focus from Russia to Iran, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
Col. Martin O’Donnell, spokesman for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, said Wednesday that multiple AWACS aircraft are deployed to Turkey.
Their job is to “enhance the Alliance’s air and maritime picture as part of NATO’s tailored assurance measures to its southern Ally,” O’Donnell said in a statement.
The aircraft are now addressing Ankara’s concerns about the situation with Iran and possible influx of refugees on Turkey’s eastern border, Bloomberg reported, citing unidentified officials.
Open source flight tracking data show an uptick in AWACS flights in that area. NATO’s advanced E-3A AWACS radar aircraft are operating from the central Anatolian city of Konya, Bloomberg reported.
NATO’s AWACS are constantly on the move and will soon join Arctic Sentry, a new effort focused on boosting security in the High North, O’Donnell said.
Based in Geilenkirchen, Germany, the NATO fleet of AWACS planes can monitor events in Iran from Turkey given their ability to track activity some 250 miles away.
The Pentagon recently has been surging military aircraft, ships and other capabilities into the Middle East in preparation for a potential strike on Iran.
President Donald Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday that he is aiming for a diplomatic solution to avert a military confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” Trump said. “But one thing is certain: I will never allow the number one state sponsor of terrorism, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen. And no nation should ever doubt America’s resolve.”
