Two fighter jets from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority carried out to successful flights at a height of 1.5 kilometres over the airspace of the country this morning, ARM General Staff told “Meta”.
Otherwise, the patrol had been previously agreed with Greece, with a precise time, place of entry and exit, route and height. Information that the patrol was taking place was sent to the state news agency MIA at the same time of the first flight.
The aim of the flights on both planes – guide and escort – was to test radar coverage and communications.
The final arrangement for protection of Macedonian airspace is yet to be agreed. During Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ visit to Skopje, Greece announced that it would patrol the Macedonian sky free of charge.
Air patrols of a member state in another member state’s airspace are common with NATO’s “smart defense” concept, which provides for joint use of available resources.
Today in the region, Greek and Italian fighter jets carried out patrols over Albania and Montenegro.
