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Turkish F-16s in Latvia Guarded the Election After Two Drone Shootdowns
Turkish Air Force F-16 fighters operated from Latvia's Lielvārde Air Base during the country's October 3 parliamentary election as part of NATO's regional air-security posture. The aircraft were temporarily repositioned from Ämari Air Base in Estonia, where Turkish personnel had been supporting Baltic air-policing duties, and Latvian officials reviewed the deployment on October 9. The activity followed separate incidents in which French Rafale and Italian Eurofighter aircraft had shot down drones during earlier NATO air-defense operations. The reported election mission demonstrated temporary allied fighter basing in Latvia; no Turkish drone interception during the election was confirmed.