WASHINGTON(Sputnik) — US fifth generation fighter jets, F-35 Lighting II, have arrived in Estonia's Amari air base, US Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein announced on Tuesday.
"F35s in Estonia! Training deployments like this build interoperability w/our partners," Goldfein said in a Twitter message.
#F35s in Estonia! Training deployments like this build interoperability w/our partners, allies @USNATO @HQUSAFEPA @388fw @419fw @MoD_Estonia https://t.co/ThBakdvELS
— Gen. Dave Goldfein (@GenDaveGoldfein) April 25, 2017
The F-35 fighter jet is the most expensive weapons project in history, with an anticipated cost of more than $1 trillion over the next half-century.
The Baltic States do not have the aircraft fleet to conduct air policing missions. Therefore, NATO jets have been entrusted with the responsibility to ensure security in the region's airspace since April 2004.
