In celebration of the 95th anniversary of the Estonian Air Force, an international air show was organised at the Ämari Air Force Base, with flight demonstrations from top pilots as well as a display of aircraft from nine NATO allied and partner nations.
F-16 fighters from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, UK Eurofighter Typhoons, Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripens as well as Polish fighter MiG-29 demonstrated their capabilities.
The Polish flight group Orlik gave an air aerobatic show with seven PZL-130s. Flights from Estonian L-410, L-39, An-2 planes as well as R-44 and AW-139 helicopters, a Latvian Mi-17 helicopter and a Lithuanian L-39 jet were also flying by.
Over 15 aircraft were on display at the Ämari Air Force Base, including Polish Air Force MiG-29, Latvian Mi-17, Finnish F-18, Polish C-295 cargo aircraft, C-130 from the Netherlands, F-16s from Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, Polish PZL-130 and Lithuanian L-39 training jets.
The Estonian Air Force is the name of the unified aviation forces of Estonia. It is the main arm of the Estonian aviation forces. The average size of the military formation in peacetime is about 210 men. The primary role of the Estonian Air Force is air surveillance and air search and rescue. Airspace integrity policing of Estonia and the Baltic states is carried out by a NATO quick reaction alert force.
Estonian photographer Gen Vagula took captivating moments from the air show.
You can see more photos of the show on Gen Vagula’s Facebook page.
