Turkey has deployed five F-16 fighter jets to Estonia to take part in NATO’s air policing mission over the Baltic states, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced on Thursday. The Turkish aircraft will replace a Portuguese Air Force contingent at Ämari Air Base, near the Estonian capital of Tallinn, and remain there until November 30 as part of NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission. The Baltic Air Policing mission began in 2004, when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined NATO. The alliance says the air policing deployment is a peacetime defensive mission intended to preserve the integrity of NATO airspace. Turkey has previously contributed fighter aircraft to NATO air policing missions on the alliance’s eastern flank.