Air Force advises of low-flying NATO aircraft, sonic booms over Estonia this week

NATO air policing aircraft stationed in the Baltic states are this week taking part in low-level flights in Estonian airspace, the Air Force (Õhuvägi) said.

Some flights can be at supersonic speeds, which leads to a shock wave and a sonic boom which can sound like an explosion or artillery fire.

The Air Force asks the public not to be alarmed by increased aircraft noise during the training period. The flights are part of scheduled NATO training activity and are not linked to any specific incident.

The training flights run from today, Monday, September 21, to Sunday, September 27, and take place between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Low altitude flights will be conducted no lower than 152 meters (500 feet). While major population centers will be avoided, some flights may pass close to areas of settlement or isolated farmsteads.

All flight exercises are being carried out in accordance with domestic law and are organized in agreement with the civilian Transport Board (Transpordiamet) and Air Traffic Control (Lennluikluseteeninduse AS).

The NATO air mission was recently upgraded to a defense posture, and continues to fly out of Ämari, around 40km west of Tallinn, and from Šiauliai in Lithuania. The mission and its training flights cover all three Baltic states and is a routine peacetime operation, with allied aircraft on standby to respond to airspace violations.

The mission is held on a rotating basis by the air forces of NATO member states who have fast jet capacity. Turkey's Air force, flying F-16 Fighting Falcons, was recently joined at Ämari by F/A‑18 Hornets serving with the Spanish Air Force.

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!